AUS vs IND: Combined XI from Australia-India ODI series

Indian cricket team resumed international duties with a bang as they were involved in a thrilling three-match One-day series against Australia. While they lost the first two ODIs in Sydney as Australia registered victory by 66 and 51 runs respectively, the final game had a nail-biting finish as the visitors emerged victorious by 13 runs to escape a whitewash.

Throughout the marquee series, the viewers witnessed a few fine performances by a handful of players that helped their teams inch closer to victory. In this article, let’s take a look at the combined best playing XI from the ODI series between India and Australia.

Aaron Finch (C)

Australian skipper Aaron Finch had set the tone for his batsmen right from the first match. Finch began the tour with an ODI ton as he registered a score of 114 off 124. This was followed by two half-centuries in the next two games. Finch also made some important tactical decisions as a captain and used his bowlers judiciously.

David Warner

Though Warner played in just two ODI games against India, he outscored the Indian openers to feature in this list. The left-hander was at his fluent best in both 1st and 2nd ODI as he smashed 69 runs off 79 deliveries and 83 off 77 balls respectively. Additionally, in both the games, Warner stitched a remarkable partnership with Aaron Finch to provide a dream start to Australia.

Steve Smith

Former Australian captain Steve Smith was on a roll throughout the series. He stole the show in the first and second ODI by hammering two stunning centuries on a trot. In the first ODI, Steve smashed 105 runs off 66 deliveries followed by 104 off 64 in the second game. With quick 216 runs in 3 games, the right-hander was rightly adjudged the Player of the Series.

Two ODIs. Two 62-ball tons. Two Player of the Match performances. One amazing cricketer! ✨ @stevesmith49 #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/oEEQ6s1YPE

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 29, 2020

KL Rahul (wk)

Though KL Rahul had a lukewarm series, he outscored Australia’s Alex Carey in both batting and wicket-keeping to feature in the combined playing XI. Rahul began the tour with just 12 runs in the first ODI. However, he redeemed himself in the second game by scoring 76 runs off 66 deliveries followed by a humble 5 runs in the third game. He did well behind the wickets too.

Hardik Pandya

The biggest positive for India from the ODI series was the emergence of Hardik Pandya as solid Number 6 batsman. Pandya registered his highest ODI score of 92 runs off 76 balls in the final ODI along with smashing 90 runs in the first game. Though he was included in the team as a specialist batsman, Hardik bowled 6 overs in the second ODI as took one important wicket of Steve Smith.

Glenn Maxwell

There were many questions on the capabilities of Glenn Maxwell after a flop run in IPL 2020. However, Maxwell managed to shut the mouth of critics by smashing the ball all over the park in all the three games. With his power-hitting abilities, the 32-year-old perfectly applied the finishing touches to Australia’s batting line-up and helped them in posting humongous totals on the board. His knocks in three games against India read 45 off 19, 63 off 29 and 59 off 38 respectively.

Ravindra Jadeja

Once Jadeja found his groove he was hard to stop – and a key reason in India reaching a winning score #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/62lwx6Uo9k

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 3, 2020

Apart from Hardik Pandya, one more pleasant positive for India was the evolution of Ravindra Jadeja as a power-hitter. The spin all-rounder hammered the ball like anything in the last few overs of the innings. He registered scores of 25, 24 and 66* respectively. Also, Jadeja was parsimonious with the ball as he managed to concede runs at an economy rate of close to 6.

Adam Zampa

The right-arm leg break bowler Adam Zampa was impressive throughout the series as he took timely wickets while hardly giving any runs to unsettle the opposition’s batting line-up. Zampa scalped 7 wickets in three games against India. His spectacular spell of 10-0-54-4 had helped his team win the first game and can be considered as one of his best spells in ODI cricket.

Josh Hazlewood

The right-arm fast-medium bowler from New South Wales, Josh Hazlewood breathed fire with the ball as took early wickets in all the three games. Hazelwood emerged as the best pacer throughout the series with 6 wickets under his belt. The 29-year-old also managed to send Indian skipper Virat Kohli back to the pavilion in all the three games.

Pat Cummins

Australia’s right-arm seamer Pat Cummins featured in just two games but made sure to leave his impact by taking 3 wickets. Cummins was consistent with his line and length as he conceded runs at an economy rate of less than 7 in a high-scoring series. Along with that he had also launched an assault on the Indian batters in the second ODI by taking a three-wicket haul.

Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur was only given a place in India’s playing XI in the dead-rubber at Manuka Oval in Canberra, but he claimed a permanent spot for himself by taking a three-wicket haul. Thakur named the three priced wickets of Steve Smith, Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott. His bowling figures in third ODI read, 10-1-51-3.