The ODI series between India and Australia will be starting from 14 January 2020. Both the teams will play 3 ODI matches against each other. This year team India will be in a mood to take revenge of the loss 3-2 they suffered last year against the Kangaroos.
With team India wanting to play their best players it will be a tough choice between KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan for the top order. The Vice-Captain Rohit Sharma being the obvious choice as an opener, the team management will have to make a choice for the No.2 batsman and No.3 batsman.
Currently, KL Rahul is in absolute form and that can be seen in his recent knocks against Sri Lanka and West Indies. The 27-year old who struggled with the bat till the first half of 2019, made an epic come back in the latter half of the year. His comeback has helped the team India to retain its strength in the top order.
Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan was out of the game owing to his injuries and failed to impress the team management with his comeback into the Indian cricket team. With a half-century in the recent match against Sri Lanka, it seems like Gabbar might pave his way back to his old form.
Even the team India skipper Virat Kohli was recently questioned on the debatable choice between KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan, to which he said, “People should stop pitting players against each other. The squad must be strong.”
But if both KL and Dhawan get selected for the series it will be a sign that Virat might come to bat at No.4. When asked about his view on the selection the 31-year old said, “Look, a guy in form is always good for the team…You obviously want to have the best players available and then chose what the combination should be for the team.” He also hinted that there might be a possibility that all three (Rohit, Shikhar, KL) might play.
He was further questioned if he might be comfortable to bat lower down the order to which he answered by saying, “Yeah, big possibility. I would be happy to do so. Look I am not possessive about where I play. I am not insecure about where I bat.” Being the type of team leader Virat is he wants to build a strong team to leave behind when he steps down as a captain for someone else takes over. And looking at his statement it is clear that he isn’t looking to achieve any personal goals.
Virat knows that he is going to face a stronger Australian side than they did last year in the absence of Steve Smith and David Warner. With both the crucial Aussie players back in the side and with both of them being in a tremendous form, team India is going to face strong competition. But still, the Indian team is in a better position as they will be playing in the home conditions, and all the players are in a good form. This consistency of the Men in Blue can help prevent the Kangaroos from hopping towards victory in the three-match series.