India should focus on getting World Cup combination right during Australia ODIs than series result, says Suresh Raina

Former India all-rounder Suresh Raina emphasised on the Men in Blue getting their combinations for the upcoming ICC World Cup right during the ODI series against Australia than caring about the series result.

India face five-time world champions Australia in a three-match ODI series right after facing Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup. The series will not only give India some much needed practice ahead of the all-important World Cup that they will be hosting entirely for the first time, it will also give Australia more time to acclimatise ahead of the showpiece event.

“More than the result, whether it is a win by 3-0 or losing 3-0, I think what is more important is for the team to go through as many tests as possible because the only thing that matters is the World Cup,” the former left-handed middle-order batter said on JioCinema’s Home of the Blues show.

Raina singled all-rounder Shardul Thakur out as someone who could be India’s x-factor in the ODIs against Australia, and added that Mohammed Shami should be part of the playing XI.

“Yes, they have a lot of left-right combinations in the batting order. For me, Shardul Thakur will be the X-factor. Definitely, Mohammed Shami. I would pick Shami because he has the skill of swinging his deliveries and bowling yorkers. The Australian side has a lot of left-handers, and it will be interesting to see if Ravindra Jadeja manages to take wicket.

“The Indore ground is very small, and Rajkot has a flat track. Also, the Australian side has played a lot in Mohali and hence I believe they will have an upper hand. In these small grounds, even scores of 340-350 will be chaseable and the Indian team will need to play a very strong bowling lineup to defend any sort of total in the World Cup,” added the former Chennai Super Kings all-rounder.

Mohali, which had not been included in the list of venues for the ICC World Cup that takes place from 5 October to 19 November, hosts the series opener on Friday, 22 September. The action then moves to Indore where the second ODI takes place on Sunday, 24 September. Rajkot hosts the series finale on Wednesday, 27 September.