Stung by a prolonged losing streak in what has turned out to be a nightmarish tour, a hapless India will now look to avoid a Twenty20 whitewash when they lock horns with Australia in the second match on Friday.
Completely outclassed in the humiliating 0-4 Test loss against the hosts, India had hoped for redemption in the limited over format but they again succumbed to a 31-run defeat in the first Twenty20.
The young legs did show some energy on the field but at the batting crease, they were no different to their Test seniors and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has to do something to inspire his team on Friday.
In the bowling department too, the Indians failed to make early inroads in the Australian line-up and now that off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s card has been shown up to be blank by a rampant David Warner on Wednesday, Zaheer Khan’s return would be crucial to India’s chances.
David Hussey said after Wednesday's win: "I thought the Indians came out and fielded and bowled particularly well early. I just thought our bowling and fielding trumped theirs."
The wicket at the MCG also might not suit spinners on Friday so overtly as it did in the ANZ Stadium. It’s a batting wicket and the skills of the bowlers would be tested utmost. Dhoni believed it was the uneven surface which did his batsmen in at Sydney and MCG might reflect their preparedness in a better light.
Australia would only go better once Daniel Christian, Mitchell Marsh and Clint McKay get an opportunity to show their wares and chances are they would in front of 90,000 strong fans who are likely to turn up at the MCG, home of Australian cricket. Christian has been on the fringes of selection in the Test side this summer and is viewed as one of the upcoming stars of Australian cricket. He was the top scorer in domestic one-day matches and was also the second highest wicket-taker. A powerful hitter, Christian didn't get a chance to bat on Wednesday but picked up two for 35 with his fast deliveries.
Squads:
Australia: George Bailey (capt), David Warner, Travis Birt, Daniel Christian, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, David Hussey, Brett Lee, Clint McKay, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Matthew Wade and Brad Hogg
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel, Rahul Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja and Manoj Tiwary
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