Series against India chance to be No.1: Rixon

Mumbai, Oct 7 (IANS) Australia coach Steve Rixon feels that stints of some of his players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the just concluded Champions League Twenty20 will stand in good stead when they face-off with hosts India in the one-off Twenty20 and the seven-match ODIs series starting Oct 10.

The tournament offers a chance to India retain its No.1 spot and for Australia to be the No.1 ODI team in the world. Rixon, who is a support staff in Chennai Super Kings, is well aware of the fact.

“If you look at the tournament, it is not just a tournament but a chance to be number one in the world in one of the three formats,” said Rixon during a media briefing here Monday.

Rixon said Australia are determined to become the World No.1 team.

“So, it is very important to the players, the coaching staff and Cricket Australia. At the end of the day, we want to sit back and want to be part of the number one side,” he added.

Australia captain George Bailey, who has played for Chennai Super Kings in the Champions League, said the exposure of quite a few squad members in the Champions League Twenty20 will be an advantage.

“Yes, we do know a few players that certainly I think one of the great things about the IPL, over the years. We have played at a lot of grounds that we are about to play at. Most of our players have played with and against a lot of Indian players, vice-versa, they have played with a lot of us,” said Bailey.

“We know a lot about strengths and weaknesses and lot about the personalities, so there is absolutely some advantage for both the teams but also some areas to try and exploit,” added Bailey

“Its all very well knowing the players but also knowing that you combat those players having just spent time in the Champions League. To see the likes of Suresh Raina, the way he is playing, the likes of Dhoni, the way he is playing, and even to a degree (Ravichandran) Ashwin. You still have to be able to combat that,” he said.