Aaron Finch feels Australia deserve to be the favorites against India

Aaron Finch is quite optimistic of Australia's chances against India in the upcoming ODI series beginning on 12 January at the WACA. He said “The Perth wicket has changed over the last few years. I don’t think that there is same amount of carry that used to be. But there is extra bounce and that’s something that they will have to adjust to and we can start to exploit that straightaway in the very first game of the series."

India last played an ODI against Australia at the WACA back in 2004. Finch conceded that India has the talent to adapt over time, but their advantage will lie in making the most of the first hour. He said “I think their young players, who have come at the back of the seniors, like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli are pretty well-rounded players. I am sure they will adapt but if we can exploit that first hour I think that can go a along way to winning a match,”

India will have the memory of their loss against Australia in the World Cup fresh in their minds. But Finch believes that Australia holds the advantage.

“When you have that tag, that means you have played good cricket. It means you are favourites or there is excitement around your team because you have played so well in the past and I think that is something for which we can hold our head high.”

“We had a great World Cup, we had a great couple of years leading into it. So, I think we deserve that tag and there is no reason why there shouldn’t be a big build-up and such excitement around our team,” he said.

Finch holds a steady average of 38.06 runs in 52 ODIs. He is also appreciative of his performance. Finch said “I think I have played quite well. In my technique, I have adjusted to a couple of things lately that have me free up my game a little bit. I am confident going into this series. As a team, we have played great cricket in Australia, so everyone is confident and everyone is feeling good about the games."

While some players may feel that it takes time to adapt to ODIs from T20, Finch doesn't expect it to be a concern. He's a part of the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League. “Any cricket at high level, Test cricket, Big Bash cricket, domestic cricket, I think you are up to speed with the game in many ways, so that’s not a huge change to me. But at the same time, the principles of the game remain the same. Still trying to give a smack at the top of the innings with Dave Warner, personally and that’s great fun,” said Finch.

Off late there has been a lot of talk about the ODI format losing its popularity to the T20 format. However, Finch is confident of the ODI format retaining its charm.

“Well I think the World Cup that went on here proved that the game is in great hands. The amount of crowd that showed up for the World Cup was phenomenal. The support that all the teams around the world had, people travelling from all around the world to watch a one-day tournament, I think was pretty special. So I think ODI cricket is still going unbelievably strong,” he said.