Though the Australians touring India are far from the feared side they were a few years ago, but they cannot be taken lightly considering their IPL and CLT20 experience, feels star batsman Rohit Sharma.
According to a report in The Times Of India, Rohit's belief stemmed from the Australian cricketers' familiarity with Indian conditions and players due to the IPL and Champions League and cautioned the hosts to guard against complacency while taking on the visitors in the lone Twenty20 and seven-match ODI rubber.
"They are a very competitive side with most of their players having featured in the IPL and Champions League. They know the Indian conditions well. We can't get complacent against them. Australia on a given day are a very dangerous side," Rohit said in an interview.
The series starts with a one-off Twenty20 International on Thursday in Rajkot.
Rohit differed from the view that Australia have arrived in India with the least experienced squad and rated their batsmen as "match winners". "They are still a very competitive side. Their batters are match winners. We have to be at our best against them."
According to a report in Deccan Chronicle, Australia would be playing without their regular skipper Michael Clarke, who has opted out of the series due to a low back injury, and Rohit said the visitors would definitely "miss his experience". Rohit also rubbished former Australian captain Ian Chappell's views that the upcoming ODI series has been "badly-timed" and will dent the team's morale by exposing its "glaring" batting frailties on spin-friendly tracks.
"I don't agree with his views. For me, every series is important whenever it is played. India-Australia series is always important for cricketers from both sides. The last thing a player, a sporstperson wants is to sit back at home and not playing the game," he said.
Talking about the two new balls that each team would be getting to be used in alternate overs, one at each end, Sharma said it would make the job of openers a lot more responsible. "You need to be cautious with the new ball upfront. You have to plan your strategy accordingly. The shot selection becomes important for you as an opener, like what shots you have to play, which areas you have to go after. The new rules are more helpful to bowlers," he said.
Meanwhile speaking on Yuvraj Singh's comeback to the Indian team for the Australia series, Rohit rated him as "one of the best middle-over batsmen" India has ever seen, says a report in The Indian Express. "He is an experienced guy and his experience will definitely help the team against the Australians. He is a great batsman. He is one of the best batsmen India has ever seen in the middle overs," he said.