In the Australia series, Shardul Thakur will be the X-factor: Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina, a former cricketer for India, talked about his expectations for the Indian squad going into the IND-AUS ODI series as well as his prediction and key players during an interview on JioCinema’s “Home of the Blues.” “I think what is more important is for the squad to go through as many tests as possible because the World Cup is the only thing that matters, not the outcome, whether it be a win by 3-0 or a loss by 3-0. The players you support are also important because during the World Cup, circumstances will emerge that require you to make appropriate plans.

In the same way that Yuvraj Singh emerged as the Player of the Tournament winner and as MS Dhoni went on to bat in the Final, Shardul must bowl now in the manner that Zaheer Khan did in the 2011 World Cup with his knuckleball. Each player controls a unique character. I want all 11 players to raise their hands and say, “Let me do the job for the country,” if the captain is faced with a difficult decision.

In addition, Suresh Raina offered his opinion on Australia’s batting depth and if India should be particularly concerned.

“Yes, their batting order has a lot of left-right combinations. Shardul Thakur will be the deciding factor for me. Without a doubt, Mohammed Shami. Shami is the player I would choose because of his ability to bowl yorkers and swing his deliveries. There are many left-handed players on the Australian team, so it will be intriguing to see if Ravindra Jadeja can get wickets.

The Rajkot track is flat, whereas the Indore field is quite small. The Australian team has also played a lot in Mohali, so I think they will have the advantage. Even scores of 340 to 350 would be chaseable on these small fields, hence the Indian squad will need to field a very potent bowling lineup to hold off any World Cup total.

Raina went on to list his series’ important players. “During the series, Rohit Sharma will score the most runs. Josh Hazlewood, an Australian bowler, will be the one to choose for wickets. Either Mohammed Shami or Kuldeep Yadav will represent India.