India vs Australia: Focus on fringe players, R Ashwin and Washington Sundar — what's at stake in ODIs

The upcoming ODI series between India and Australia is set to provide both the teams one last shot at finalising their potential playing XIs just before the ODI World Cup gets underway. The Men in Blue are coming fresh off their Asia Cup triumph in Colombo recently, but this time around, against Australia, new faces will be in action for the Indians. Following a hectic summer that saw India take on West Indies and then play the Asia Cup, the team management have decided to rest seniors like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the first two ODIs, thereby paving the way for KL Rahul to lead the side. Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar return to the side , with Ashwin last playing an ODI in January 2022. Then there’s Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma in the squad. Although both of them are not part of the World Cup squad, this series against Australia provides them an opportunity to test themselves and more importantly, prepare for the future. So, what’s there to look forward to in the upcoming India vs Australia ODI series? Let’s take a look: Eyes on fringe players Resting seniors like Kohli and Rohit provides an opportunity for young, talented players like Gaikwad and Tilak to have a say in the first two ODIs. Tilak Varma has been pipped by some to seal that number four batting spot in ODIs, looking ahead to the future, and should he be a part of the playing XI, it will be interesting to see how he comes up against a reputed Australia pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Coming 🆙 next 👉 #INDvAUS

Here are the #TeamIndia squads for the IDFC First Bank three-match ODI series against Australia 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Jl7bLEz2tK

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 18, 2023

Varma, who made his senior India debut in the T20Is against West Indies, only made his ODI debut in the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh, which ended in a flop run. Gaikwad, meanwhile, could face competition from Ishan Kishan for the opening batter’s slot. While Shubman Gill is all but certain to open, Kishan seems to be the frontrunner to partner him. Kishan has played seven of his 23 ODIs as an opener, and scored 448 runs at an average of 74.66. This includes three fifties against West Indies in August, all of them coming while opening. Kishan potentially opening with Gill raises the question of where Gaikwad will play. A fit-again Shreyas Iyer could come one down in Kohli’s absence, whereas Suryakumar Yadav could bat at number five for India. This would mean Gaikwad does not feature in the playing XI at all, which may not be ideal considering he would want some game time ahead of India’s Asian Games campaign in October. Ashwin, Washington inclusions Up until recently, it did not look as though Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar would be part of India’s plans for the World Cup. And the duo are still not certain to make the World Cup squad, but they could make a case in the upcoming Australia ODIs. Ashwin was included in the squad keeping Axar Patel’s muscle tear injury in mind.

Ravi Ashwin and Washington Sundar have been added as the reserves for the 2023 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/ZwFdYLAb77

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 18, 2023

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Washington Sundar, meanwhile, has not been a regular in the Indian ODI setup of late, and was only flown into Colombo for the Asia Cup final due to Axar’s injury. In a one-sided contest, he did not get a chance to bat or bowl. Prior to that, Sundar had played an ODI in January this year, against New Zealand. One can only wonder why the team management took the decision to name two off-spinners in the squad for the final series before the World Cup, and former spinner Harbhajan Singh feels if the management have made a mistake. “They have probably realised their mistake that they haven’t picked an off-spinner in the team and that our bowlers can get into trouble if a lot of left-handers come in front of them. Are they going to make another mistake to rectify their earlier mistake,” Harbhajan had said on his YouTube channel. And once again, in the ODI series against Australia, it could come down to Ravichandran Ashwin sealing the playing XI spot, while Washington Sundar warms the bench, especially if both Ashwin and Jadeja potentially feature in the XI. Selection headaches for Australia Australia will look to make a few important selection calls in the upcoming ODIs against India. Travis Head will miss the first half of the World Cup , and that means Marnus Labuschagne returns to the Aussies’ plans for the showpiece event. The question over who would open in Head’s absence would come down to David Warner and Mitchell Marsh. The duo will likely open for Australia, and with Marsh having opened for Australia in ODIs only four times before, it poses a big challenge for the Aussies. Meanwhile, Head has experience while opening. He has played 25 ODIs as an opener, having scored 1164 runs at an average of 50.60. Another problem haunting Australia ahead of the World Cup are the injuries sustained by their pacers. Pat Cummins picked up a wrist injury during the final Ashes Test in July and hasn’t played since, whereas Mitchell Starc has been out of action with a groin injury. Josh Hazlewood is also coming off an Achilles injury, and while he did take five wickets in the ODIs against South Africa, his tendency to leak runs at stages of the game remains an issue. Bowling all-rounder Sean Abbott also features in the squad, but his lack of playing experience in India than compared to the trio might pose a challenge. On paper, Australia look like a side that can contend for the World Cup, but it’s those few selection calls that will have to be made and those mistakes that will have to be rectified, which they will hope to before the World Cup begins.