This is a World T20 year. But cricket being cricket, with its many formats, teams need to distribute their attention equally. And with that, two powerhouses -- India and Australia -- will engage in a short but intense three-match One-Day International series in January. Here, we will try to give all the information you need to know about the series. (More Cricket News).
Currently, India are taking on Sri Lanka in a three-match Twenty20 International series, while the Aussies have just blanked New Zealand 3-0 in the Test series. So, both the teams will need to do some adjusting. Afterall, T20Is and Tests are the extremes of International cricket.
The series will witness the return of India vice-captain Rohit Sharma, who was rested for the Sri Lanka series even as his 'former opening partner' Shikhar Dhawan continues to fight for his spot. For the Aussies, Aaron Finch who was roped in by Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore for the Indian Premier League 2020, will lead a strong Australian series. The visitors will have explosive opener David Warner, former captain Steve Smith - arguably one of the greatest batsmen, IPL's most expensive overseas player Pat Cummins and the new run-machine Marnus Labuschagne. This will be one hell of a series. For the record, India lost to Australia 2-3 at home in March last year after leading 2-0. It was also the first series loss for India at home since losing 2–3 to South Africa in October 2015, and Kohli's first ODI series loss at home. So, Kohli will be extra motivated to perform.
ODI head-to-head: This will be the 12th bilateral series between India and Australia, with the Aussies leading 6-5. In the previous 137 meetings, India have won 50 times as against Australia's 77. There were ten no results. In India, India have won 27 as against Australia's 29 in 61 matches, with five no results.
ODI rankings: India are ranked second, while Australia are fourth.
India vs Australia ODI series schedule:
January 14: 1st ODI at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (2:00 PM IST)
January 17: 2nd ODI at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot (2:00 PM IST)
January 19: 3rd ODI at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru (2:00 PM IST)
Live Streaming:
Live streaming of the India vs Australia ODI series will be available online. You will have to download the Hotstar app to watch live streaming. Payment details are available when you subscribe. The match can also be streamed live on the Jio TV app.
TV Telecast:
The series can also be watched LIVE on the following TV channels in India and Indian subcontinent: Star Sports 1/HD, Star Sports 2/HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi/HD, Star Sports Select 1/HD, Star Sports SELECT 1/HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil.
State broadcaster Doordarshan will also telecast the match live in India.
You can also follow ball-by-ball live commentary HERE.
For fans Down Under, every game of the tour can be watched on Fox Cricket with no ad-breaks during play in HD (Foxtel channel 501).
SuperSport will telecast the series in South Africa.
Squads
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia: Aaron Finch (capt), D'Arcy Short, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
