More testing times likely for the bowlers in Mohali
Mohali is likely to be another batting paradise with the curator, Daljit Singh, already saying that the good bounce and carry that the pitch afforded during the Champions League matches was a "dress-rehearsal" for the ODI
Match facts
Saturday, October 19, 2013Start time 1330 local (0800 GMT)
Big Picture
The metamorphosis of the Jaipur pitch from a good all-round one just a few weeks ago to a fertile 721-run farmland on which the batsmen committed cricketing debauchery made it clear that an ODI series in India has no place for bowlers. Mohali is likely to be another batting paradise with the curator, Daljit Singh, already saying that the good bounce and carry - read: hit through the line - that the pitch afforded during the Champions League matches was a "dress-rehearsal" for the ODI. The grass on the outfield has been given a neat crop too, meaning R Ashwin and Glenn Maxwell will have more or less an equal chance of chasing down the ball.Form guide
Australia LWWLW (most recent games first)India WLWWW
In the spotlight
It was in Mohali against Australia that Shikhar Dhawan's world changed in a matter of four hours. Since setting foot on the ground that day in March, Dhawan has amassed 1028 runs in international cricket - Tests, ODIs, and T20Is - at an average of 60.47 and a strike rate of 97.90, becoming a vital cog in India's line-up. The number of centuries he has hit this year would have gone to five had he scored five more runs in Jaipur, but he did set up the chase that night. The best part about Dhawan's batting is that he has no apparent weaknesses - he plays the fast-bowlers well, he uses his feet against spinners, plays sweeps and the reverse, he runs well between the wickets, and he scores at a fast clip without taking any risks.Team news
After the battering India's bowlers received in Jaipur, MS Dhoni might be inclined to make at least one change in Mohali before the team for the next four matches is announced. Ishant Sharma and Vinay Kumar have leaked runs at almost the same rate - 7.87 and 7.83 respectively - and one or both could be forced out. However, with Dhoni's tendency to stick to the same XI, it could be still be a long wait for Jaydev Unadkat and Mohammed Shami.Stats and trivia
- No Indian batsman has yet scored a century in ODIs in Mohali. In 12 matches, India has played at the ground, Sachin Tendulkar's 99 against Pakistan in 2007 remains the highest score
- There have been five instances of teams scoring more than 300 batting first in Mohali - South Africa's 351 being the highest - and only once has the team lost from that position. In the same match where Tendulkar scored 99, Pakistan chased down the 322-run target
- Australia have played three ODIs against India in Mohali and they have won two of them. Overall, Australia have won four out of five matches in Mohali
Quotes
"There might be a little bit more life here than at the Jaipur wicket. The boundaries are a little bit bigger as well, so … I haven't looked at the past scores or anything, so I don't know what to expect."George Bailey looks for a silver lining
Shikhar Dhawan on Ishant Sharma and Vinay Kumar's tactics in Jaipur
Devashish Fuloria is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo