Series win in India will lift Australia ahead of Ashes: Haddin

Bangalore: Australia vice-captain Brad Haddin today said a win in tomorrow’s series decider against India will do world of good to the visitors ahead of the upcoming Ashes rubber against arch-rivals England at home. The seven-match ODI series between India and Australia is presently locked at 2-2 with two games being washed out. Both the sides will lock horn in the seventh and last ODI at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here tomorrow and Haddin said a win in such high-pressure contest can lift the spirit of his side ahead of the Ashes. [caption id=“attachment_1207103” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Australia and India are tied 2-2 going into the fifth and final ODI. BCCI[/caption] “It is a big game. These are the games you want to be a part of. It’s obviously a high pressure game with a lot at stake. The series is on the line,” he said. “Guys can continue to perform well at this level and games like this do hold a lot of weight leading upto a big series like the Ashes,” Haddin told reporters at the pre-match press conference. Haddin said having played in the country on a regular basis, Indian conditions are now not alien to the Australian team. “The conditions now aren’t as foreign as they used to be. There’s a lot of cricket played over here and guys are understanding how to play, especially the shorter format of the game, over here in Indian conditions. From that point of view we’re set up for a very exciting game tomorrow,” he said. Haddin said Australia have got enough cover for Johnson’s absence. “We have got guys like Nathan Coulter-Nile and Moises Henriques who have been on the sideline for the entire tour. They are ready to go. Nathan is known to a lot of you guys over here with the success he had in the Champions League. We have got enough to cover,” he said. “It is a very exciting way to end this series. I think it is just reward that it is two-all now leading into the final because it’s been an outstanding series so far.” He said the field restrictions and powerplays have been the reasons for spinners to give away far too many runs during middle overs. “I think it has not been a conscious (decision) at first. It is just the way the game has panned out. I think with the way the field restrictions are at the moment, it allows free scoring during the middle of the game and with the powerplays leading into the back end of the game. I think that has been a big reason for why the spinners have gone for more runs than they normally would have,” he added. PTI