The last three editions of the Men’s Cricket World Cup were won by the host nation, and bookmakers expect that trend to continue in India this year.
India remains cricket’s undisputed powerhouse, particularly in the 50-over format. The Asian nation has only lost one bilateral ODI series at home since the previous World Cup four years ago, while the team is fresh off a triumphant Asia Cup campaign, thumping Sri Lanka by treh wickets in the final.
Ahead of next month’s World Cup, India has one final opportunity to finetune their preparation and cement their strongest starting XI, with three ODIs against Australia in Mohali, Indore and Rajkot.
Australia is the only team that has defeated India in a bilateral ODI series in their own backyard since 2016, having achieved the rare feat earlier this year. The two nations will face off again in their World Cup opener at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, October 8.
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India’s provisional World Cup squad is packed with talent, but one question mark lingers over Suryakumar Yadav’s position ahead of the Australia ODIs.
Yadav is undoubtedly the world’s best T20 batter. The 33-year-old, a genuine 360-degree batter, is difficult to stop when in the zone.
His innovative strokeplay makes him a constant threat, and he’s arguably India’s most consistent player of spin. However, he’s yet to live up to expectations in the 50-over format.
Yadav boasts an otherworldly T20I batting average of 46.02 while striking at 172.70; but his ODI numbers are far less impressive, averaging 24.40 with the bat after 27 ODIs.
He is coming off an underwhelming performance against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, scoring 26 (34) in a narrow six-run loss at R Premadasa Stadium.
“When you are fighting so hard to find respect from your country in that one format, the harder you chase it, the farther it seems to get away,” former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden said on Star Sports.
Despite his recent ODI struggles, Yadav has the makings of a World Cup match-winner. Much like Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, he can take the game away from his opponents within a handful of overs.
He’s also unfazed by big stage contests, named in the team of the tournament for last year’s T20 World Cup in Australia after amassing 239 runs with a strike rate of 189.68.
Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri wants Yadav to continue striving to translate his hard-hitting T20 style into the 50-over format, advising him to take an extra few deliveries to settle at the crease.
“If I were to speak to him, I’d tell him just keep it simple. Just remember you’ve got a little more time on your hands when it comes to 50-over cricket,” Shastri told Fox Cricket.
“You don’t have to change too much. You still keep it simple, like how you approach T20 cricket.
“In 50-over cricket, give yourself an extra five balls, you’re allowed to, but don’t change anything else.
“Keep that tempo going; there are other batsmen around you who can do the job.
“If you pull it off, play 40-50 balls, you might just win the game on your own.”
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On Tuesday, the BCCI announced that Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya had been rested for the first two ODIs against Australia, and Yadav will almost certainly slot into the starting XI in their absence.
Yadav will be eager to redeem himself after March’s disastrous white-ball campaign against the Australians, where he registered three consecutive golden ducks, becoming the first cricketer to achieve the unwanted feat in a bilateral ODI series.
India is permitted to change its World Cup squad until September 28, and Yadav could be at risk of missing the finalised 15-player touring party if he can’t produce a long-awaited impact innings against Australia.
Shastri, a member of India’s triumphant 1983 World Cup squad, believes Rohit Sharma’s side are the favourites heading into the quadrennial tournament.
“They know the conditions, they know the terrain,” Shastri continued.
“To be honest, I think this is the strongest India team since they won the World Cup in 2011. I say that simply because this group has been playing with each other for five years. They’ve got youth in the form Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav, and they’ve got experience with Rohit (Sharma), Virat (Kohli) and (Ravindra) Jadeja.
“It’s a very good unit. A lot of variety there, a lot of depth there. I see them ticking most of the boxes, going in as one of the strongest sides India has produced in the last ten years.”
India will climb to No. 1 on the ICC Men’s ODI Rankings if they defeat Australia in Friday’s series opener at Mohali’s Inderjit Singh Bindra Stadium.
Aussies facing selection Head-ache | 01:11
India squad (first two ODIs)
KL Rahul (c), Ravindra Jadeja (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
India squad (third ODI)
Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
Australia squad
Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa