India vs Australia 2020: 3 reasons why visitors will be tough to beat

Cricket fans across the globe get excited whenever India takes on Australia, irrespective of the format. Even though it is a very short series, one cannot wait for the three-match faceoff between the two teams that begins on January 14 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

India have been bulldozing visiting teams in the recent past and in most press conferences, skipper Virat Kohli talks about being ruthless and clinical against any opposition that comes against his side.

However, the forthcoming ODI series against Aaron Finch-led Australia won't be an easy proposition for Kohli’s men and here are three reasons why the visitors would be tough to beat:

#1 Australia's current form

Australia v New Zealand - 3rd Test: Day 4

After going through a horrific 2018, Australia bounced back very strongly in 2019 and are now looking like a pretty strong side with all the jigsaw pieces finally fitting in the right places. Australia’s head coach Justin Langer has managed to put together a side that plays hard and competitive cricket on the field and is calm and likable off the field.

Any good international side will like to dominate at home and that's exactly what Australia did during their season down under. Even though they are in India to play a different format, the Australian team would be high on confidence, which is one of the key facets required to be successful to take on India in their own backyard.

One of the biggest surprises when Australia announced the squad for this series was the exclusion of the hard-hitting Glenn Maxwell. If a side could afford to drop that kind of a batsman, it means they have a pretty good unit.

The in-form Australian side taking on a highly confident Indian side at home will surely be a sight to behold.

#2 Australia’s strong top order

Aaron Finch and David Warner

Australia’s top four, that consists of openers David Warner and Aaron Finch, the new kid on the block Marnus Labuschagne at No. 3 with Steve Smith to follow, is probably one of the strongest batting line-ups in today's time.

All four are capable enough of winning the match single-handedly on their day, and that throws a daunting challenge to the Indian bowlers.

The cricketing world is witnessing a new hero in the form of Labuschagne. After a wonderful summer back home, in which he attained a Bradmanesque batting average, this will be a terrific test for the young batsman in a different format.

The youngster tackles spin well, a fact which was evident during the series against Pakistan and New Zealand.

In him and Smith, Australia have two batsmen at No. 3 and 4 who play spin very well and that is very important to do well in this part of the world.

While Warner and Finch can provide explosive starts, Labuschagne and Smith can lay down the foundation through the middle overs for a big finish at the end.

It is going to be extremely difficult for the Indian bowlers, for sure!

#3 Bowling variety

Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc

Australia have plenty of options when it comes to fast bowlers these days. The touring team has decided to pick their three senior seamers in Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood, with Kane Richardson as the backup.

All three senior bowlers are quite different in the way they operate. While left-armer Starc is their wicket-taking option at any stage of the game, Hazlewood will try to keep the Indian batsmen in check with his nagging accuracy.

Cummins, on the other hand, can perform both these roles with aplomb and his battle against the No. 1 ODI batsman, Virat Kohli, could be one of the highlights of the series.

Australia have decent spin options in their arsenal as well. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa has a tendency to leak runs but is also a proven wicket-taker in limited-overs cricket. Left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Ashton Agar could lend balance to the side and allow Finch to play an extra batsman or a bowler depending on the conditions.

All in all, this is expected to be a high octane series between two strong teams in very good form.