Australian players including Travis Head and Mitchell Starc talked about their excitement to face India in the upcoming white-ball series on home soil. Travis Head noted that although India is not a “favourite” opponent in international cricket, their familiarity and their recent form make competitions highly motivating.
Australia will host India for a three-match ODI series starting on October 19 at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The second and third ODIs will be held in Adelaide (23 October) and Sydney (25 October).
After the ODI, India will also face Australia in a five-match T20I series to prepare for the T20 World Cup.
I don’t feel like they’re my favorite – Travis Head
In a video shared by Star Sports on Instagram, Travis Head described the series between India and Australia as extremely competitive. Head hoped to contribute to a successful summer for Australia.
,I don’t feel like they’re my favorite; I just feel like we play them enough. “I think I’ve been in good shape the last few years, so I think it won’t be difficult to get ready to compete,” Travis Head said.
“It’s extremely competitive. I’m looking forward to preparing well and being ready to go and hopefully I can contribute to a successful summer for us,” Travis Head said.
Australia vs India is another opportunity to take the game forward – Mitchell Marsh
Stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh highlighted the competitive spirit between Australia and India. He said that this series motivates the players and helps in growing the game of cricket beyond the Indian fan base.
Marsh said, “I think it’s just cricket that is being played between the two teams. We have won some series, some they have won, and I think when it goes back and forth, it creates a strong rivalry within the players.”
He said, “There is no hatred, but it is a great rivalry on the field. Both teams want to win. Australia vs India is another opportunity to grow the game of cricket. It is not that cricket in India needs to grow, but people around the world look forward to these big series.”
The rivalry has grown from strength to strength – Mitchell Starc
Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc described the Australia-India matches as a rivalry that has grown stronger with each series. He noted the familiarity of the teams from repeated encounters across all formats and predicted an exciting series.
“A rivalry if you like, it has grown stronger with each series, and whether it’s the fire ability or the quality of the matches that we watch as fans and cricketers, it continues to grow with each series,” Starc said.
“Both teams know each other well. We play each other frequently across formats, so I’m sure it will be another exciting series with both experienced teams displaying some great cricket,” he said.
Most of India’s traveling party, including the support staff, was already in Delhi for the second Test against West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Players who have not been involved in red-ball cricket like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer joined the team before leaving for Australia. The Indian contingent left for Australia from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday, October 15.
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