Australia vs India 2018-19, ODI Series: One match-winner in every department

The three-match ODI series between India and Australia is set to begin on 12th January at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney. Neither of the teams needs to travel as the last Test match was played in Sydney and the absence of travel fatigue can do a world of wonder for both the teams.

Australia's selection has come under scrutiny following the omission of players like D'Arcy Short, Chris Lynn, Travis Head, and Nathan Coulter Nile, and it will be interesting to see how Finch's men bounce back.

Here are the squads of both the teams.

Australia's ODI Squad: Aaron Finch(C), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Jhye Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Jason Behrendorff, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa

India's ODI Squad: Virat Kohli(C), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Khaleel Ahmed and Mohammed Shami

In this article, we identify one potential match-winner in every department.

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Openers - Australia: Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch is probably the biggest match-winner in the Aussie squad. He is certainly expected to perform well in the ODI series despite pressure on him due to captaincy. His numbers in Australia last year were extremely impressive and with Bumrah rested for the ODI series, Aaron Finch can take the game away from India if he isn't dismissed within the first 10 overs. A devastating batsman and great striker of the ball, India need to be wary of the Aussie skipper.

Openers - India: Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma who returned home before the 4th Test due to the birth of his child has arrived in Australia for the ODI series. Rohit will look to dominate the largely new Aussie pacers and to his tally of big scores. He averages above 50 in ODIs in Australia and has scored more than 1100 runs in 27 innings. Rohit's batting partner Shikhar Dhawan could be a match winner too but Rohit has been chosen with recent ODI form in mind.

Middle Order - Australia: Shaun Marsh

Australia v South Africa - 3rd ODI

Shaun Marsh will be one player India will want to get rid of early because if he gets settled, he's going to bat through the innings and make a lot of runs. Shaun Marsh has made it a habit of playing long innings and his great numbers in 2018 illustrate the above fact. One of the few players in the Australian setup who has the technique, finesse, and flamboyance to counter India's bowling with riskfree scoring methods. He will be crucial for Australia.

Middle Order - India: Virat Kohli

This a no-brainer. Virat Kohli is the best batsman in this Indian setup and when he comes out to bat at number 3, the thought process in a bowler's mind is on a different level. A higher level of skill is required to dismiss King Kohli and he brings the best out of the bowler if they have it in them to get him out because otherwise, he'll be dispatched to the boundary.

On his day, Virat can harass the opposition all by himself and it seems that every day is becoming his. There is no need for his numbers to back this up as most of us know that his batting average in 2018 in ODIs was more than 100 and he scored more than 1200 runs in just 14 innings.

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All-rounder - Australia: Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis edges Glenn Maxwell for this spot due to his amazing run of games in the Big Bash League with both bat and ball while Maxwell as a bowler isn't too convincing. Stoinis if given the opportunity to bat up the order can hang in there and score some big runs.

He's not the cleanest striker of the ball but is a clever batsman and it's very hard to score too many runs off his bowling. A more complete all-rounder now, Stoinis can win the match for Australia.

All-rounder - India: Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is set to make a comeback to the ODI team after being sidelined due to injury since the Asia Cup. He warmed the bench for the last 2 Tests and it's likely that he would have adapted to the conditions. Pandya had a forgettable 2018 but his match-winning abilities have never reduced.

He can seriously trouble the Aussie batsmen with his bowling especially if he hits a few spots on the Sydney surface which did offer irregular bounce. He can be a menace while batting and if he gets his eye in, Hardik is a dangerous batsman to bowl to.

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Bowler - Australia: Adam Zampa

Australia have opted for a fresh set of pacers for this series as they wanted to rest their premier pace bowling trio due to their workload. There seems to be a lack of proven match-winners in their side and Adam Zampa seems to be the only person to offer a solution. He got into the minds of the Indian batsmen during the T20I series and got the better of them time and again and finished off with 3 wickets and an economy of just 5.5. Adam Zampa could turn this game for Australia.

Bowler - India: Kuldeep Yadav

With Bumrah rested for the ODI series, Kuldeep Yadav seems to be the differential for India. He showed how potent he was in the New Year Test at Sydney and clearly, Australia's Test batsmen couldn't play him convincingly. Kuldeep had a brilliant year in ODIs in 2018 and if he can carry that confidence here, it would make India more dominant than they already seem.

Kuldeep has been hard to read for the Australian batsmen and gets into their mind befuddling them with deceptive googlies, as well as the change of line and length. With the probability of only spinner playing per team, they will be crucial for the team's outcomes and it's Kuldeep more than Chahal for India.