The India-Australia series kicks off tomorrow in Chennai and it would be fun to see how the ‘fantastic foes’ fare in this hyped up ODI series. The last time these two teams met in India, the series went right down to the wire, with India winning it 4-3. Lots and lots of runs were on display and by the looks of it, this series should be no different.
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The Indian team has almost all departments sorted, with the number 4 spot being an exception. KL Rahul was deployed in that role in the Sri Lanka series but couldn’t muster a lot of runs.
But in his pre-match press conference Virat Kohli has said that he wants to back KL Rahul in that position and wants to give him a long run.
He then went onto talk about Ajinkya Rahane and how he would be entrusted with the opening spot, having proven himself in the West Indies series.
“If you look to bat in a position you bat in one format, in all formats, it gets difficult for the team to find the right kind of balance. Players need to adapt to what the team needs more often. I open in T20Is, I would do that any day if there is a guy in the middle order whose strengthen it. It is up to the player to get versatile, but it takes time”.
“We are backing Ajinkya Rahane at the top of the order. He had found it difficult to switch, but once you identify a role and once you get the balance by giving the player more chances, he gets more confident” Virat Kohli said.
There has been a lot of talk about who between Rahane, Rahul, Pandey and Jadhav would make it to the XI, and from what Virat Kohli said in his press conference, it seems like Rahane, Rahul and one from Jadhav and Pandey would make it to the XI.
