India’s T20 segment of the current home season is finished. We witnessed total dominance of Virat Kohli&#8217;s army throughout the season in each format. However, the challenge is bigger now, against a quality side – Australia. The visitors have sent their full-strength squad to compete hard against India. This bilateral ODI series is Australia&#8217;s first since the World Cup 2019.

The hosts are also ready with their full-strength squad, however, Hardik Pandya is still unavailable. In 2019, the Men in Blue lost the five-match ODI series against the same opponent. Australia were without David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in that series. The return of these players makes the kangaroos even more dangerous.

The three-match ODI series between the two top-class sides will be a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7QWRuPFz1D/?igshid=xav488caf73">mouth-watering contest</a>. Both the teams are capable of winning the series, and predicting the scoreline is a tough task. The playing eleven of both the teams are more or less settled.

In this article, we have featured five players to watch out for in this series:

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-381989" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rishabh-Pant-1.jpg" alt="Rishabh Pant" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-381989" class="wp-caption-text">Rishabh Pant. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption>

The young batsman Rishabh Pant is always in the spotlight whenever India play a match. Since he is seen as <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/hardik-pandya-reveals-the-advice-that-ms-dhoni-gave-to-him-during-the-early-days-of-his-international-career/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MS Dhoni</a>&#8216;s successor, it is quite obvious. Pant is yet to set the stage on fire at the international level as far as the white-ball cricket is concerned. Anyway, there is no question about his potential and skill set.

It isn&#8217;t easy to bat in the middle-order in the white-ball format. A middle-order batsman should be adaptable with the match situation, demands to be equally good against pacers and spinners. Being a left-hander, he has an advantage to milk leg-spinners. He can plunder bowlers in the death overs because of his brute power and range of shots.

The wicketkeeper-batsman showed signs of improvement in the series against the West Indies. He took his time, the shot-selection was good and Pant executed them well. Averaging exactly 39, Pant scored 117 runs at a staggering strike rate of over 128 in India’s previous ODI leg. A good time in this series will help Pant in securing his spot in the team for the future.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-352290" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_359049.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-352290" class="wp-caption-text">Marnus Labuschagne (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Probably the most loved young man in Australia currently – <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/mark-waugh-rates-marnus-labuschagne-as-the-best-current-batsman-in-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Marnus Labuschagne</a> is the only Australian batsman to feature in this article. Since Ashes 2019, Labuschagne made a name for himself in the Test cricket. Since his first Test match in England, the right-handed batsman is the highest run-scorer (1249 runs) with eleven 50+ scores including four centuries in the longest format. Labuschagne is number three batsman in the ICC Test rankings and has proved to be rock-solid batsman at one down for his side.

However, the format will be different in this series, and Labuschagne is excited for the new challenge as he told to ESPNCricinfo. The 25-year-old is yet to make his debut in the limited-overs at the international stage. In his List A career of 33 matches, Labuschagne averages just 37.83 and has a strike rate of about 87. These numbers are not very imposing but Marnus has constantly raised the bar of his performance.

Playing for Queensland in the Marsh Cup 2019, the South Africa-born amassed 364 runs with a fantabulous average of 60.66 and an excellent strike rate of over 100. Labuschagne batted at one drop in the Marsh Cup, thus, the question arises – where will the visitors accommodate him in the batting order? Steve Smith is likely to bat at three and Peter Handscomb at number four performed well in India last year.

Albeit, the skipper Aaron Finch has shown enough confidence in Labuschagne. So, he might bat at four or five in the middle-order. Marnus is a decent player of spin, and the venues of this series are Mumbai, Rajkot and Bengaluru – batting-friendly grounds. Therefore, Labuschagne should be at ease scoring runs in his debut series.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-351896" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_360065.jpg" alt="Navdeep Saini" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-351896" class="wp-caption-text">Navdeep Saini of India (Photo by Randy Brooks / AFP)</figcaption>

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/indian-speedster-navdeep-sainis-fast-bowling-secret-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Navdeep Saini</a>, the young sensation in the Indian cricket has been in the limelight of late. Saini was always known for his express pace in the domestic circuit, and it is helping him at the international level now. The speedster bagged ‘Man of the Match’ award on his international debut against the West Indies, and has been getting better with every game. Saini who is just nine matches old at the highest level has been very impressive.

The 27-year-old has represented India just once in the 50-over format so far. It will be interesting to see how the Indian team management fits Saini in the playing XI as Bumrah, Shami and Thakur are also in the squad. The spinners – Kuldeep, Chahal and Jadeja also find themselves in the squad. Kohli might select three frontline pacers along with Jadeja and one of the wrist spinners in the XI at least for the series opener.

As mentioned in the previous slide, the decks are expected to be good batting surfaces, India should definitely consider the right-arm quick. Saini is a hit-the-deck-hard bowler and such bowlers are useful on the pitches which do not support the bowlers. Howbeit, the pace of the gun fast bowler might backfire because of not-so-large-boundaries if he loses his control.

Saini has displayed the glimpses of his potential and possesses various tools like yorkers, quick short balls, nasty bouncers and hard-length balls in his armoury. The main aim of Kohli and Co. is to target the T20 World Cup which will be held in Australia. The fast and hard Australian pitches with good bounce on offer assist Saini-like bowlers who have the pace. Thus, India should give him game time as much as they can in order to nurture the young man.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-224295" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ashton-Agar-of-Australia.jpg" alt="Ashton Agar of Australia" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-224295" class="wp-caption-text">Ashton Agar of Australia. (Photo by MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption>

Australia have dropped Marcus Stoinis and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/no-need-to-hit-them-26-rows-back-jimmy-neesham-has-a-hilarious-reaction-to-glenn-maxwells-sixes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Glenn Maxwell</a> from their ODI squad after the World Cup 2019. Now, the all-rounder spot is up to grabs and Ashton Agar is given a chance to showcase his potential. For someone who made his international debut in 2013, having played 34 matches since then in nearly seven years are far from enough. Agar is slowly and steadily making a comeback in Australia’s white-ball set up now.

The bowling all-rounder featured in both the T20I series Australia played (against Sri Lanka &amp; Pakistan) after the World Cup 2019. He did not get the opportunity to bat in any of the six games. As far as bowling is concerned, the left-arm orthodox spinner performed pretty well. Averaging less than 20 in six matches, Agar scalped seven wickets with an economy of less than six.

The visitors might use the 26-year-old as a finisher in the batting department. On 10 January in the press conference, Finch spoke that they are hoping Agar to fill the role of an all-rounder more often. Whilst Agar can do well with the ball, he could find it difficult to perform with the willow. The left-handed batsman is not someone, capable of hitting the big shots from the ball one.

<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-356684" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_348142.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-356684" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)</figcaption>

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-vs-australia-virat-kohli-drops-a-hint-of-playing-both-shikhar-dhawan-and-kl-rahul-in-the-first-odi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shikhar Dhawan</a>, one of India’s top batsmen in the ODI cricket over the years is not in the best phase of his career currently. He has been out of form for quite some time and struggled to get runs even in the domestic circuit. There is already a debate going on Dhawan vs Rahul in the shortest format. And, now the debate has moved even to the 50-over format – Dhawan’s best format.

KL Rahul scored runs in the World Cup, Vijay Hazare Trophy and is in good form. Thus, the debate is understandable. And, this is why Shikhar Dhawan is a player to watch out for in this series. India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour hinted that one of the southpaw and Rahul will play the first game.

The opening batsman enjoys facing Australia in the ODI cricket, especially in India. Dhawan averages 42.39 against the Aussies, 41.90 against the same opponent in India. He has scored four centuries and the same number of half-centuries versus Australia; two tons and two fifties have come in India.

The fearless batsman likes to bat on the fast tracks on which the ball comes nicely on the bat. With good batting decks on offer as expected, the southpaw can potentially have a breakthrough series.

India’s T20 segment of the current home season is finished. We witnessed total dominance of Virat Kohli’s army throughout the season in each format. However, the challenge is bigger now, against a quality side – Australia. The visitors have sent their full-strength squad to compete hard against India. This bilateral ODI series is Australia’s first since the World Cup 2019.
The hosts are also ready with their full-strength squad, however, Hardik Pandya is still unavailable. In 2019, the Men in Blue lost the five-match ODI series against the same opponent. Australia were without David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in that series. The return of these players makes the kangaroos even more dangerous.
The three-match ODI series between the two top-class sides will be a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7QWRuPFz1D/?igshid=xav488caf73">mouth-watering contest</a>. Both the teams are capable of winning the series, and predicting the scoreline is a tough task. The playing eleven of both the teams are more or less settled.
<h3>In this article, we have featured five players to watch out for in this series:</h3>
<h3>1. Rishabh Pant</h3>
<figure id="attachment_381989" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-381989" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-381989" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rishabh-Pant-1.jpg" alt="Rishabh Pant" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-381989" class="wp-caption-text">Rishabh Pant. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
The young batsman Rishabh Pant is always in the spotlight whenever India play a match. Since he is seen as <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/hardik-pandya-reveals-the-advice-that-ms-dhoni-gave-to-him-during-the-early-days-of-his-international-career/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MS Dhoni</a>‘s successor, it is quite obvious. Pant is yet to set the stage on fire at the international level as far as the white-ball cricket is concerned. Anyway, there is no question about his potential and skill set.
It isn’t easy to bat in the middle-order in the white-ball format. A middle-order batsman should be adaptable with the match situation, demands to be equally good against pacers and spinners. Being a left-hander, he has an advantage to milk leg-spinners. He can plunder bowlers in the death overs because of his brute power and range of shots.
The wicketkeeper-batsman showed signs of improvement in the series against the West Indies. He took his time, the shot-selection was good and Pant executed them well. Averaging exactly 39, Pant scored 117 runs at a staggering strike rate of over 128 in India’s previous ODI leg. A good time in this series will help Pant in securing his spot in the team for the future.
<h3>2. Marnus Labuschagne</h3>
<figure id="attachment_352290" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-352290" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-352290" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_359049.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-352290" class="wp-caption-text">Marnus Labuschagne (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Probably the most loved young man in Australia currently – <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/mark-waugh-rates-marnus-labuschagne-as-the-best-current-batsman-in-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Marnus Labuschagne</a> is the only Australian batsman to feature in this article. Since Ashes 2019, Labuschagne made a name for himself in the Test cricket. Since his first Test match in England, the right-handed batsman is the highest run-scorer (1249 runs) with eleven 50+ scores including four centuries in the longest format. Labuschagne is number three batsman in the ICC Test rankings and has proved to be rock-solid batsman at one down for his side.
However, the format will be different in this series, and Labuschagne is excited for the new challenge as he told to ESPNCricinfo. The 25-year-old is yet to make his debut in the limited-overs at the international stage. In his List A career of 33 matches, Labuschagne averages just 37.83 and has a strike rate of about 87. These numbers are not very imposing but Marnus has constantly raised the bar of his performance.
Playing for Queensland in the Marsh Cup 2019, the South Africa-born amassed 364 runs with a fantabulous average of 60.66 and an excellent strike rate of over 100. Labuschagne batted at one drop in the Marsh Cup, thus, the question arises – where will the visitors accommodate him in the batting order? Steve Smith is likely to bat at three and Peter Handscomb at number four performed well in India last year.
Albeit, the skipper Aaron Finch has shown enough confidence in Labuschagne. So, he might bat at four or five in the middle-order. Marnus is a decent player of spin, and the venues of this series are Mumbai, Rajkot and Bengaluru – batting-friendly grounds. Therefore, Labuschagne should be at ease scoring runs in his debut series.
<h3>3. Navdeep Saini</h3>
<figure id="attachment_351896" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-351896" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-351896" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_360065.jpg" alt="Navdeep Saini" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-351896" class="wp-caption-text">Navdeep Saini of India (Photo by Randy Brooks / AFP)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/indian-speedster-navdeep-sainis-fast-bowling-secret-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Navdeep Saini</a>, the young sensation in the Indian cricket has been in the limelight of late. Saini was always known for his express pace in the domestic circuit, and it is helping him at the international level now. The speedster bagged ‘Man of the Match’ award on his international debut against the West Indies, and has been getting better with every game. Saini who is just nine matches old at the highest level has been very impressive.
The 27-year-old has represented India just once in the 50-over format so far. It will be interesting to see how the Indian team management fits Saini in the playing XI as Bumrah, Shami and Thakur are also in the squad. The spinners – Kuldeep, Chahal and Jadeja also find themselves in the squad. Kohli might select three frontline pacers along with Jadeja and one of the wrist spinners in the XI at least for the series opener.
As mentioned in the previous slide, the decks are expected to be good batting surfaces, India should definitely consider the right-arm quick. Saini is a hit-the-deck-hard bowler and such bowlers are useful on the pitches which do not support the bowlers. Howbeit, the pace of the gun fast bowler might backfire because of not-so-large-boundaries if he loses his control.
Saini has displayed the glimpses of his potential and possesses various tools like yorkers, quick short balls, nasty bouncers and hard-length balls in his armoury. The main aim of Kohli and Co. is to target the T20 World Cup which will be held in Australia. The fast and hard Australian pitches with good bounce on offer assist Saini-like bowlers who have the pace. Thus, India should give him game time as much as they can in order to nurture the young man.
<h3>4. Ashton Agar</h3>
<figure id="attachment_224295" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-224295" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-224295" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ashton-Agar-of-Australia.jpg" alt="Ashton Agar of Australia" width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-224295" class="wp-caption-text">Ashton Agar of Australia. (Photo by MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Australia have dropped Marcus Stoinis and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/no-need-to-hit-them-26-rows-back-jimmy-neesham-has-a-hilarious-reaction-to-glenn-maxwells-sixes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Glenn Maxwell</a> from their ODI squad after the World Cup 2019. Now, the all-rounder spot is up to grabs and Ashton Agar is given a chance to showcase his potential. For someone who made his international debut in 2013, having played 34 matches since then in nearly seven years are far from enough. Agar is slowly and steadily making a comeback in Australia’s white-ball set up now.
The bowling all-rounder featured in both the T20I series Australia played (against Sri Lanka &amp; Pakistan) after the World Cup 2019. He did not get the opportunity to bat in any of the six games. As far as bowling is concerned, the left-arm orthodox spinner performed pretty well. Averaging less than 20 in six matches, Agar scalped seven wickets with an economy of less than six.
The visitors might use the 26-year-old as a finisher in the batting department. On 10 January in the press conference, Finch spoke that they are hoping Agar to fill the role of an all-rounder more often. Whilst Agar can do well with the ball, he could find it difficult to perform with the willow. The left-handed batsman is not someone, capable of hitting the big shots from the ball one.
<h3>5. Shikhar Dhawan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_356684" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-356684" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"><amp-img class="size-full wp-image-356684" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_348142.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img><figcaption id="caption-attachment-356684" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-vs-australia-virat-kohli-drops-a-hint-of-playing-both-shikhar-dhawan-and-kl-rahul-in-the-first-odi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shikhar Dhawan</a>, one of India’s top batsmen in the ODI cricket over the years is not in the best phase of his career currently. He has been out of form for quite some time and struggled to get runs even in the domestic circuit. There is already a debate going on Dhawan vs Rahul in the shortest format. And, now the debate has moved even to the 50-over format – Dhawan’s best format.
KL Rahul scored runs in the World Cup, Vijay Hazare Trophy and is in good form. Thus, the debate is understandable. And, this is why Shikhar Dhawan is a player to watch out for in this series. India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour hinted that one of the southpaw and Rahul will play the first game.
The opening batsman enjoys facing Australia in the ODI cricket, especially in India. Dhawan averages 42.39 against the Aussies, 41.90 against the same opponent in India. He has scored four centuries and the same number of half-centuries versus Australia; two tons and two fifties have come in India.
The fearless batsman likes to bat on the fast tracks on which the ball comes nicely on the bat. With good batting decks on offer as expected, the southpaw can potentially have a breakthrough series.

India’s T20 segment of the current home season is finished. We witnessed total dominance of Virat Kohli&#8217;s army throughout the season in each format. However, the challenge is bigger now, against a quality side – Australia. The visitors have sent their full-strength squad to compete hard against India. This bilateral ODI series is Australia&#8217;s first since the World Cup 2019.
The hosts are also ready with their full-strength squad, however, Hardik Pandya is still unavailable. In 2019, the Men in Blue lost the five-match ODI series against the same opponent. Australia were without David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in that series. The return of these players makes the kangaroos even more dangerous.
The three-match ODI series between the two top-class sides will be a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B7QWRuPFz1D/?igshid=xav488caf73">mouth-watering contest</a>. Both the teams are capable of winning the series, and predicting the scoreline is a tough task. The playing eleven of both the teams are more or less settled.
<h3>In this article, we have featured five players to watch out for in this series:</h3>
<h3>1. Rishabh Pant</h3>
<figure id="attachment_381989" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-381989" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-381989" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Rishabh-Pant-1.jpg" alt="Rishabh Pant" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-381989" class="wp-caption-text">Rishabh Pant. (Photo Source: Twitter)</figcaption></figure>
The young batsman Rishabh Pant is always in the spotlight whenever India play a match. Since he is seen as <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/hardik-pandya-reveals-the-advice-that-ms-dhoni-gave-to-him-during-the-early-days-of-his-international-career/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MS Dhoni</a>&#8216;s successor, it is quite obvious. Pant is yet to set the stage on fire at the international level as far as the white-ball cricket is concerned. Anyway, there is no question about his potential and skill set.
It isn&#8217;t easy to bat in the middle-order in the white-ball format. A middle-order batsman should be adaptable with the match situation, demands to be equally good against pacers and spinners. Being a left-hander, he has an advantage to milk leg-spinners. He can plunder bowlers in the death overs because of his brute power and range of shots.
The wicketkeeper-batsman showed signs of improvement in the series against the West Indies. He took his time, the shot-selection was good and Pant executed them well. Averaging exactly 39, Pant scored 117 runs at a staggering strike rate of over 128 in India’s previous ODI leg. A good time in this series will help Pant in securing his spot in the team for the future.
<h3>2. Marnus Labuschagne</h3>
<figure id="attachment_352290" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-352290" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-352290" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_359049.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-352290" class="wp-caption-text">Marnus Labuschagne (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Probably the most loved young man in Australia currently – <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/mark-waugh-rates-marnus-labuschagne-as-the-best-current-batsman-in-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Marnus Labuschagne</a> is the only Australian batsman to feature in this article. Since Ashes 2019, Labuschagne made a name for himself in the Test cricket. Since his first Test match in England, the right-handed batsman is the highest run-scorer (1249 runs) with eleven 50+ scores including four centuries in the longest format. Labuschagne is number three batsman in the ICC Test rankings and has proved to be rock-solid batsman at one down for his side.
However, the format will be different in this series, and Labuschagne is excited for the new challenge as he told to ESPNCricinfo. The 25-year-old is yet to make his debut in the limited-overs at the international stage. In his List A career of 33 matches, Labuschagne averages just 37.83 and has a strike rate of about 87. These numbers are not very imposing but Marnus has constantly raised the bar of his performance.
Playing for Queensland in the Marsh Cup 2019, the South Africa-born amassed 364 runs with a fantabulous average of 60.66 and an excellent strike rate of over 100. Labuschagne batted at one drop in the Marsh Cup, thus, the question arises – where will the visitors accommodate him in the batting order? Steve Smith is likely to bat at three and Peter Handscomb at number four performed well in India last year.
Albeit, the skipper Aaron Finch has shown enough confidence in Labuschagne. So, he might bat at four or five in the middle-order. Marnus is a decent player of spin, and the venues of this series are Mumbai, Rajkot and Bengaluru – batting-friendly grounds. Therefore, Labuschagne should be at ease scoring runs in his debut series.
<h3>3. Navdeep Saini</h3>
<figure id="attachment_351896" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-351896" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-351896" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_360065.jpg" alt="Navdeep Saini" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-351896" class="wp-caption-text">Navdeep Saini of India (Photo by Randy Brooks / AFP)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/indian-speedster-navdeep-sainis-fast-bowling-secret-revealed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Navdeep Saini</a>, the young sensation in the Indian cricket has been in the limelight of late. Saini was always known for his express pace in the domestic circuit, and it is helping him at the international level now. The speedster bagged ‘Man of the Match’ award on his international debut against the West Indies, and has been getting better with every game. Saini who is just nine matches old at the highest level has been very impressive.
The 27-year-old has represented India just once in the 50-over format so far. It will be interesting to see how the Indian team management fits Saini in the playing XI as Bumrah, Shami and Thakur are also in the squad. The spinners – Kuldeep, Chahal and Jadeja also find themselves in the squad. Kohli might select three frontline pacers along with Jadeja and one of the wrist spinners in the XI at least for the series opener.
As mentioned in the previous slide, the decks are expected to be good batting surfaces, India should definitely consider the right-arm quick. Saini is a hit-the-deck-hard bowler and such bowlers are useful on the pitches which do not support the bowlers. Howbeit, the pace of the gun fast bowler might backfire because of not-so-large-boundaries if he loses his control.
Saini has displayed the glimpses of his potential and possesses various tools like yorkers, quick short balls, nasty bouncers and hard-length balls in his armoury. The main aim of Kohli and Co. is to target the T20 World Cup which will be held in Australia. The fast and hard Australian pitches with good bounce on offer assist Saini-like bowlers who have the pace. Thus, India should give him game time as much as they can in order to nurture the young man.
<h3>4. Ashton Agar</h3>
<figure id="attachment_224295" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-224295" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-224295" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/Ashton-Agar-of-Australia.jpg" alt="Ashton Agar of Australia" width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-224295" class="wp-caption-text">Ashton Agar of Australia. (Photo by MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
Australia have dropped Marcus Stoinis and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/no-need-to-hit-them-26-rows-back-jimmy-neesham-has-a-hilarious-reaction-to-glenn-maxwells-sixes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Glenn Maxwell</a> from their ODI squad after the World Cup 2019. Now, the all-rounder spot is up to grabs and Ashton Agar is given a chance to showcase his potential. For someone who made his international debut in 2013, having played 34 matches since then in nearly seven years are far from enough. Agar is slowly and steadily making a comeback in Australia’s white-ball set up now.
The bowling all-rounder featured in both the T20I series Australia played (against Sri Lanka &amp; Pakistan) after the World Cup 2019. He did not get the opportunity to bat in any of the six games. As far as bowling is concerned, the left-arm orthodox spinner performed pretty well. Averaging less than 20 in six matches, Agar scalped seven wickets with an economy of less than six.
The visitors might use the 26-year-old as a finisher in the batting department. On 10 January in the press conference, Finch spoke that they are hoping Agar to fill the role of an all-rounder more often. Whilst Agar can do well with the ball, he could find it difficult to perform with the willow. The left-handed batsman is not someone, capable of hitting the big shots from the ball one.
<h3>5. Shikhar Dhawan</h3>
<figure id="attachment_356684" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-356684" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-356684" src="https://crictracker-admin-panel-08032022.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/media/attachments/CT_348142.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-356684" class="wp-caption-text">Shikhar Dhawan (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-vs-australia-virat-kohli-drops-a-hint-of-playing-both-shikhar-dhawan-and-kl-rahul-in-the-first-odi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Shikhar Dhawan</a>, one of India’s top batsmen in the ODI cricket over the years is not in the best phase of his career currently. He has been out of form for quite some time and struggled to get runs even in the domestic circuit. There is already a debate going on Dhawan vs Rahul in the shortest format. And, now the debate has moved even to the 50-over format – Dhawan’s best format.
KL Rahul scored runs in the World Cup, Vijay Hazare Trophy and is in good form. Thus, the debate is understandable. And, this is why Shikhar Dhawan is a player to watch out for in this series. India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour hinted that one of the southpaw and Rahul will play the first game.
The opening batsman enjoys facing Australia in the ODI cricket, especially in India. Dhawan averages 42.39 against the Aussies, 41.90 against the same opponent in India. He has scored four centuries and the same number of half-centuries versus Australia; two tons and two fifties have come in India.
The fearless batsman likes to bat on the fast tracks on which the ball comes nicely on the bat. With good batting decks on offer as expected, the southpaw can potentially have a breakthrough series.

These players will look to impress with their show in the three-match rubber.

India vs Australia: 5 Players to watch out for in the ODI series

The three-match ODI series between India and Australia will be a mouth-watering contest. Let's take a look at five players to watch out for in the series.