India vs Australia ODI series 2020: 3 Australian players to watch out for

Australia will begin their ODI assignments of 2020 with a short three-match series against India from the 14th of January till the 19th of January 2020. The Indian team has been on a roll at home in all forms of the game. The ‘Men in Blue’ have had a rousing start to 2020 with a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka in the recently concluded T20 series. This will be the first ODI series for the Aussies since the 2019 World Cup in England, and they will be up against an Indian team which is extremely difficult to beat at home.

And, Australia should really get their act together if they are to stand any chance of overhauling a strong Indian side in spite of having won their last bilateral series in India. The Australian cricket team is filled with talented cricketers who can change the course of the match. A cracker of a series is on the cards, and the Aussies will be itching to tame India in their own backyard.

In this article, let us look three Australian cricketers to watch out for in this series.

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#3 Marnus Labuschagne

Labuschange has had a stellar run in Test cricket this summer for the Aussies.

Even before he making his ODI debut for Australia, Labuschagne is already making waves in the cricketing world. The batting sensation has had a stellar run in Test cricket this summer for the Aussies. The 25-year-old averages a stunning 63.43 in his Test career, and has scored 4 hundreds in his last eight Test innings. Labuschagne is blessed with a good technique and is a man who can switch seamlessly between caution and aggression.

He will be extremely keen to leave a mark in the ODI arena as well, and his battles with Indian pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah would be a key part of the series. He is certainly a player to keep an eye on.

#2 David Warner

Warner is someone who can take the game away from the opposition in a jiffy.

Since his comeback from the infamous 'Sandpaper Gate’ scandal, David Warner has been in excellent form for Australia. He was the leading run-scorer for the Kangaroos during the 2019 World Cup, scoring an astounding 647 runs during the multi-nation event. The stocky left-hander also averaged a colossal 71.89 during the World Cup and scored three centuries.

Warner has been in riveting form in Test cricket as well. In the two innings that he played against Pakistan in Tests, Warner had scores of 154 and 335*. And, in the final Test against New Zealand, Warner scored a sedate 111* and enabled Australia to win the third Test and complete a whitewash over the Kiwis.

Warner is someone who can take the game away from the opposition in a jiffy. Australia’s fortunes will hinge on the starts the explosive opening batsman provides with the bat at the top of the order.

#1 Mitchell Starc

The likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be tested by Starc.

Mitchell Starc is someone who can bowl toe crushing yorkers at will, and is a man whose searing pace and reverse swing will challenge any batsman. He has emerged as the spearhead of the Australian bowling attack and will be itching to showcase his potential against the strong Indian batting line up. Starc also has the uncanny ability to move the ball both ways and Aaron Finch will pin his hopes on the left-arm seamer to provide the team with crucial breakthroughs.

Starc was one of the heroes in Australia’s whitewash of New Zealand in the three-match Test series, picking up 15 wickets. The New Zealand batsmen were all at sea, as Starc ripped through their batting line up. The likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be tested by the left-arm seamer in the upcoming ODI series, and if Starc can strike early, he will give Australia the edge in this limited-overs encounter.