India vs Australia 3rd ODI Preview

Hero Honda Cup
Australia tour of India 2009/10 :
3rd ODI – India v Australia [D/N]
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi (Seats 40k)
Date: October 31, 2009 [Saturday]
Match starts at : 09:00 GMT | 14:30 IST
Weather forecast : Sunny, Temperature about 18 – 32°C

Momentum is with India

India should look to carry forward the momentum they achieved in the 1st and the 2nd ODI to this game being played at one of the slower venues in the country – the newly laid Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. The bowling still remains a worry though the slower and lower the pitch, the happier the likes of Praveen Kumar and Ravinder Jadeja will be. Not that the Aussies will mind. They have been wounded this time around, and will seek retaliation.

Devil at the Kotla

I am not talking about the IPL Franchise here. There is something not quite right about the pitch. POOJITH, the thread creator, agreed by posting that it would be interesting to see how the Kotla pitch would behave. As recent memory serves us, it wasn’t anywhere close to ideal during the just concluded Champions League T20. I would expect a low scoring game at the Kotla on Saturday.

Injured? You’ve got company

That’s what the Australians at Sick-bay would be telling each other. Recently, Tim Paine joined them with a finger injury and was replaced with Graham Manou, a South Australian veteran in his own right. With close to 75% of the squad sitting out, the fitness situation looks appalling for the current world champions.

Prediction

Taking into account the pitch, fitness of the Aussies, momentum with India and home support, India should be the favourites to win at Delhi and lead the series 2-1 come late Saturday night. But you never know, one match winning effort by an Aussie can jolt the entire Indian team and force them to surrender. I would still go for an Indian win.

Featured Comment

Talking about the partiality meted out to the non-NSW players in the Australian squad,

Who do you think will win?  in the comments section.