What a thrilling match it was, and well do Pakistan take classes on how to lose matches which are theirs to win? They lost their last 6 wickets for less than 20 runs, which is astonishing! On the other hand, that match has made this series very much interesting as now Pakistan have to play out of their skins to ensure victory.

Both teams bowling looks very strong with the exception of an odd bowler, but it’s the batsmen who will dictate the terms of this series. Pakistan have no reliable batsman except for Misbah who failed in the last game, whereas South Africa have quite a few decent batsmen but none who can be relied upon to score runs at all times. With Amla and Steyn not available for this game, the South African team is without their 2 key players but they do have the ability to win.

Team News
 The Pakistan openers had started the innings so slowly that it put all pressure on the fragile middle order. Shehzad did manage to take personal strike rate to a decent amount, but the result indicates it may be a little too late. Hafeez too usualy gets a start but can rarely convert them into big ones, and that is where the Pakistani batsmen lack the quality, probably which India don’t. Misbah hopes to not have a bat, but that is possible only in the rarest of cases.

South Africa have the selection dilemma of Kock vs Ingram, and the only reason Kock holds the upper hand is because he is a opener and would also help Devillers by freeing him from keeping duties. Since Kallis has not features in ODI’s, they also have a huge no.3 headache, and none of AbDevilers, Duminy or Faf have seemed to click there. On the other hand, Ryan Mclaren seems to have solved their no.7 by playing sensibly at that position, but he has a long way to go yet. With Amla not available for this match, extra responsibility lies on Smith’s shoulders. 

Probable Teams
Pakistan: Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohd. Hafeez, Misbah ul Haq (c), Umar Akmal (wk), Umar Amin/Asad Shafiq, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Mohd. Irfan, Sohail Tanvir

X-Factor: Saeed Ajmal is the world’s best bowler for a reason, and that reason is he regularly picks up wickets. He has been Pakistan’s leading bowler for a long time now, and has rarely disappointed. Even in the last match he picked up 4 wickets, which gave Pakistan the upper hand. This is his best chance to perform even better, especially since he is playing on spinning and low scoring tracks, which will not be the case when Pakistan tour abroad. Though he may be a little expensive, if he has a god day he is a must in your fantasy team.

South Africa: De Kock(wk), Graeme Smith, Faf du Plessis, Ab Devillers (c), JP Duminy, David Miller, Ryan Mclaren, Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir

 X-Factor: Faf Du Plessis is nowhere performing near the type of player he is. His performances in the last 12-15 months have been very disappointing, but he is an immensely talented cricketer and has a good cricketing brain too. His case is like that of Rohit Sharma, but the only question is, how long can South Africa persist with him after the likes of Amla return? Fitting into the top 6 with some world class batsmen is tough, and he has to start performing or else he will be treated the same way Behardien was dealt with, dropped. 

Expected Result: Pakistan Win

Not many would be following this series, but for the cricket crazy nation, Bangladesh this is a very important series. The last time New Zealand had visited here they lost 0-4, and Mccullum hopes to better his team’s performance this time around. It is going to be a tough series for New Zealand especially in the heat and humidity, but it is to be seen which team can come up on top.

Bangladesh have dominated the test series, although both tests ended up in draws. The home team certainly has the advantage of playing in home conditions and in front of a large crowd, which will help them immensely. They want to prove a point to the world and this could be a stepping stone on their path.

Team News
Bangladesh seem to have a very strong team, however the only concern is the health of Shakib. He was sick a day ago and rushed to the hospital. In case he cannot make it to the ground, it will be a huge blow for the team and will shift the balance in favor of New Zealand a little. Tamim and Nasir seem to be in good batting form, and they are the ones who have to bat through the innings to make sure Bangladesh can win this game. They also have lethal spin weapons in Gazi and Razzak, both of who can be wicket takers and run containers.

New Zealand are without their regular opener Guptill and that may hurt them a little. That being said, it is the perfect opportunity for young Devicich to make a mark and show that he is good enough for the international stage. Their middle order is as solid as ever in Taylor, Williamson and Baz. They also have some class all-rounders and pacers but one area that will hurt them dearly is the lack of quality spinners. They do have Nathan Mccullum but he is not a quality spinner who can turn the ball. The likes of Vettori could have been much handier, but well this is what they have for now.

Probable Teams
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Mominul Haque, Shakib al Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim(c)(wk), Mahmudullah, Masrafe Mortaza, Sohag Gazi, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain

X-Factor: Nasir Hossain, one of the best lower order players in the game would be the guy to watch out for. He has been Bangladesh’s best batsman for a long time now, and there are talks of him moving to fill the no.3 or no.4 spot but it’s all upto him to do so. He is one of the Bangladesh stars and a huge contributor to their success. Along with being a great batsman, he is a good fielder and a decent bowler too. If you want to win a fantasy game, do not forget to add Nasir to your line-up :) 

New Zealand: Hamish Ruterford, Anton Devcich, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Brendon Mccullum (c)(wk), James Neesham, Corey Anderson, Nathan Mccullum, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Mitchell McClenaghan

X-Factor: Mitchell McClenaghan has played 10 ODI games till date and in those he has picked 29 wickets, which is a tremendous record. If he can continue to do what he did in his previous ODI’s, New Zealand would be well served by him. It is to be seen whether he can make the ball talk on these life less Bangladeshi pitches. He is a very good young bowler and New Zealand have to make sure to use him smartly and effectively.

Expected Result: Bangladesh Win

Faf Du Plessis was caught on camera rubbing the ball against a zip on his pocket on the third day of the match in Dubai on Friday, leading umpires Ian Gould and Rod Tucker to penalise South Africa five runs and change the ball.

Australian match referee David Boon said a hearing was held after the close of play and Du Plessis did not contest the charge.

He pleaded guilty to article 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to "changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 42.3 of the Laws of Cricket, as modified by ICC Standard Test Match, ODI and Twenty20 International Match Playing Conditions clause 42.1".

"After discussions with Mr du Plessis, he has elected not to contest that charge but I am also satisfied that this was not part of a deliberate and/or prolonged attempt to unfairly manipulate the condition of the ball, and that the imposition of a fine of 50 percent of his match fee is appropriate considering the circumstances," Boon said in a statement on Saturday.

South Africa are closing in on victory in the second test, with Pakistan starting the fourth day 286 runs behind South Africa's first innings score of 517 with just six second innings wickets remaining.

Pakistan currently lead the two-match series 1-0.

Following a successful training camp in Fort Lauderdale over the weekend, USACA is pleased 
to announce the 15 man squad who will represent USA at the ICC World T20 Qualifier in Abu 
Dhabi in November. 
 
The squad, which will be coached by Mr. Robin Singh and will be captained by Neil McGarrell, 
will play in Group A of the T20 World Cup Qualifier with its first game against Canada on 15th 
November. Sixteen countries will compete in the tournament with 6 teams vying to secure a 
place in the T20 World Cup Finals in 2014 to be played in Bangladesh. 
 
The final squad which includes Steve Massiah, free of the responsibilities of captaincy, and 
Timroy Allen who has come out of retirement. It also includes two players with full member 
experience in Neil McGarrell and Adam Sanford as well as some younger players in Steven 
Taylor and Muhammad Ghous. 
 
USA National Men’s Squad: 
 
Danial Ahmed 
Orlando Baker 
Barrington Bartley 
Timroy Allen (Vice Captain) 
Akeem Dodson 
Steve Massiah 
Muhammad Ghous 
Adam Sanford 
Karan Ganesh 
Japen Patel 
Neil McGarrell (Captain) 
Imran Awan 
Steven Taylor 
Elmore Hutchinson 
Srinivasa Santhanam 

USA National Staff: 
 
Head Coach: Mr. Robin Singh 
Assistant Coach: Mr. Nasir Javed 
Analyst: Mr. Somayajula Sriram 
Physiotherapist/ Trainer: Mr. Basil Butcher 
Team Manager: Mr. Shoaib Ahmed 
 
The US team will play two (2) practice matches in Abu Dhabi prior to the first official match of 
this all important tournament. USA plays Scotland in a practice game on Tuesday November 
12th and Nepal on Wednesday 13th November. The team will leave for the UAE on November 9th.

India vs Australia ODI series in India and Australia leading the series by 2-1, this may be called as a surprise. None of the experts would have expected this either, but Australia have played really well and they deserve the lead they currently have. However, playing a match in Ranchi which is also the home ground of the Indian captain might not be an easy task for the Aussies. After what happened in the last match that India played at Ranchi, when India thrashed England and it was an excellent bowling display, Aussies might be a bit worried.

On the other end, the form of Finch, Hughes, Bailey, Voges, Johnson, Mckay and Faulkner is a huge plus for the team, and when 7/11 players are in good form they seem favorites to win once again. The Indian batsmen seem to be inconsistent, with the exception of Virat, and that is why he is regarded as the 2nd best batsman in the world. 

Team News
Ishant being included Dhoni’s love for the Sharma’s, may it be Ishant or Rohit, is strange. However, his persistence for Rohit is starting to pay off, and it could be the same for Ishant too. None of the bowlers except Bhuvi are performing their task, and the non-performing Ashwin is one of the biggest problems currently. Ashwin has to step up his game, pick wickets, stop the flow of runs and earn the confidence of his captain. Dhawan and Rohit also need to step up and play like they did in the 2nd ODI, which would give confidence to the struggling Indian middle order. 

Watson’s bowling has been very good and that has solved their headache for the 5th bowler. Maxwell is playing as a pure batsman and he has also been performing consistently which is a big plus for the team. With Voges and Faulkner coming good in the last match, the Australians have a very strong batting line up. With Johnson bowling the way he is, Bailey must certainly be delighted. Faulkner’s heroics cannot be forgotten so easily, and he will be waiting for the time when Ishant comes on to bowl, because he knows he can get the better of Ishant. Hughes has been the team’s anchor and he must do so for the remaining ODI’s too to ensure the team can post a good total. 

Probable Teams
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Dhoni (c)(wk), Ravi Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin/Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar Jaydev Unadkat

X-Factor: Yuvraj Singh performed very well in his comeback T20 game and won India the match single handedly, but since then he has disappointed. It is a known fact that he is a proven match winner, but he struggled against Johnson, who was the bowler who got him out in the 1st and 3rd ODI.   He needs to get in, spend some time in the middle and then unleash himself on the Aussie bowling. If he performs India have a much better chance of winning, and much is expected from him. 

Australia: Aaron Finch, Philip Hughes, Shane Watson, Adam Voges, George Bailey(c), Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin (wk), James Faulkner, Clint Mckay, Mitchell Johnson, Xavier Doherty

X-Factor: Aaron Finch has been Australia’s 2nd most consistent batsman and he has negated India’s best bowler Bhuvneshwar with ease. If he can continue to do so, he might as well give the team a great start and put India in a spot. What’s even better is that he known at what point of time to accelerate and increase the scoring rate, which helps the team out a lot. 

Expected Result: India Win

by Sanchit Gupta

The afternoon started with Australia winning the toss for the third straight time this series but the decision was different this time,this time they invited India to bat first.Both teams were once again unchanged with Australia deciding to give their bowlers a chance on a greener Mohali track, while India gave yet another reprieve to Ishant Sharma who was expected to get something from this green wicket. R Ashwin, who was also under fire, incidentally had the second best economy rate for either team in the last game, despite all the flak he took in the press.

Shikhar Dhawan looked to get off to another rollicking start as he cracked two boundaries off Clint McKay's first over, but was caught behined on the final ball of it. It was a good thing from an Australian point of view that Dhawan walked as the Umpire looked clueless out there in the middle.India then hit a bit of a slump losing 4 wickets to short pitched bowling as the batsmen failed to get on top of the deliveries because of the extra bounce on offer at Mohali due to the green track. Rohit Sharma (11) and Suresh Raina (17) both looked good before falling to Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson respectively. Johnson ran through the middle order, getting rid of Yuvraj Singh for a first ball duck and then Ravindra Jadeja for 2. Mid Way,Virat Kohli (68) and MS Dhoni rebuilt the innings, adding 72 for the 5th wicket before Kohli fell in Glenn Maxwell's only over. The Indian skipper found a handy partner in R Ashwin (28), and the duo added another 76 runs for the 7th wicket before Dhoni decided to take charge of the proceedings and hit the bowling in every part of the ground scoring 139 of just 121 balls with 12 fours and 5 massive sixes.Australia looked like keeping India to about 250, but skipper George Bailey, who seemed to do everything else right till that point, dropped a skier to hand Dhoni a reprieve. It proved to be a big miss and cost Australia 36 runs in the last 2 overs as India sneaked past 300.

Australia's response with the bat was once again positive with Aaron Finch (38) and Phil Hughes (22) adding 68 for the opening wicket before the latter fell caught behind to Vinay Kumar sccumbing to pressure built up by a maiden over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Ishant Sharma bowled a good first spell and in conjunction with Jadeja squeezed Australia's run rate. Wickets followed with Sharma getting Finch leg before while Jadeja got Shane Watson (11) in identical fashion. George Bailey (43) and Adam Voges (78*) came in with the score reading 88-3 and added 83 for the fourth wicket to keep Australia in the hunt. Bailey became the third leg before victim of the innings and was shortly followed by Glen Maxwell who was run out for 3. Brad Haddin came out and upped the tempo, smashing 24 of just 16 balls before finding the man in the deep off the bowling of Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and at 213-6 in the 42nd over, the game looked very much in India's favour. Voges and Faulkner built together a steady partnership, but the home side were still very much in the driver's seat with Australia needing 44 to win from the last 3 overs when the impossible happened. Faulkner and smashed the lanky fast bowler,Ishant Sharma for 30 runs - including 4 sixes to swing the match back in Australia's favour, and the visitors made the series scoreline 2-1 by sneaking over the finish line with 3 balls to spare.

Both teams will now move to Ranchi,Dhoni's hometown for the 4th ODI with India desperately needing a win to bring the series back to level.

If there was a pitch in this entire series that would assist the bowlers, it has to be the Mohali wicket. After the carnage, this might be a chance to fight back for the pace bowlers. Faulkner, Mckay and Johnson would be licking their lips as they can now bowl fast at the batsmen, whereas Bhuvi, Ishant and Vinay would be feeling lucky since 1 or 2 more bad performances could see them out of the playing 11 even before they notice it.

Does India have the strongest bowling line up in the world? The answer is yes. But the mind boggling fact is that in a country of over 2 billion people, India have not produced 1 world class pace bowler after the likes of Srinath and Zaheer. This match will once again be a contest between the Indian batsmen and the Aussie bowlers, and the ones who come out on top will lead their team to victory. Mohali does get a lot of dew, and if Bailey decides to bat 1st it might put his team in a spot, but well it’s his and his team management’s decision.

Team News
Team India might as well stick with the same XI, with the only possible change could be bringing in Unadkat for one of the pacers who have been ineffective till now. Their batting power is so good that they can chase down any target with a few overs to spare. On top of that, the main batsman of the team Yuvraj did not even get a bat, which further adds to the team’s batting strength. Now that Dhawan and Rohit are in form, the Aussies might find it tough to win even one of the remaining 5 games.

The Aussie batting looks good, but is nowhere equal to the power the Indians possess. However, their bowling is their biggest strength and if Johnson and Faulkner can pitch it in the right areas and trouble the batsmen, they might be in with a slim chance. Virat and Yuvraj’s wicket would be the key and if the Aussies can knock over those 2 cheaply, the match would definitely be an even contest. If bailey decides to bat 1st, as that has been the trend till now, nothing less than 350 would be a good total considering that all Indian batsmen have been in good form lately.


Probable Teams
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Dhoni (c)(wk), Ravi Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar Jaydev Unadkat

X-Factor: Ravindra ‘Sir’ Jadeja, the once assumed to be the joke of cricket had silenced some of his critics in the champions’ trophy, where he bowled superbly. However, he is once again starting to be one of those who performs for a certain time and then is a complete waste. He needs to put his hand up and perform once again, particularly after his disastrous performances in the Champions League T20, and the 2 ODI’s. He might not be needed much with the bat, but he has to do his job with the ball. With the pressure rising from the Nayar’s and the Pathan’s, ‘Sir’ Jadeja would soon be contesting for his place in the XI if he does not dish out a good performance soon. 

Australia: Aaron Finch, Philip Hughes, Shane Watson, Adam Voges, George Bailey(c), Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin (wk), James Faulkner, Clint Mckay, Mitchell Johnson, Xavier Doherty

X-Factor: Shame Watson is a very diverse cricketer mainly because he has so much to offer with the bat and the ball. His bowling in the last match was awful, but he made up a little with the bat. He is the most experienced cricketer in this line up and he has to be the one who goes on to score a big one, if Australia are to win. He might not be opening the bowling, but he does bowl towards the death and that is when the Indian batsmen are most dangerous. If he can contain them and pick up wickets, he deserves a pat on his back. 

Expected Result: India Win

By Sanchit Gupta

India made a laughing stock of an exceptional Australian batting effort to post 359-5 in the alloted 50 overs by spriting to their target in just 43.3 overs and winning the match by 9 wickets,all thanks to 3 incredible innings from Rohit Sharma(141 of 123 balls), Shikhar Dhawan(95 of 86 balls) and Virat Kohli(100 of 52 balls).

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Rajasthan which is home to two Australian players,Shane Watson and James Faulkner who play for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL was treated to an absolute run feast as over 700 runs were scored and much to the delight of the home fans,The Indian Team came out triumphant.It wasnt a day when a bowler could proudly say the fact that he was a "bowler" as Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the only player on either side to end the game with an economy rate of less than 6 and only 4 wickets were taken by the bowlers in the whole course of the match.

Earlier, Australia won the toss and once again chose to bat which has been their strategy all through the series.Both teams were unsurprisingly unchanged for the match.India's decision of not changing their bowling combination backfired as they were clobbered for 359 runs in 50 overs with each of the top 5 Australian batsman scoring a 50 atleast. A steady opening partnership between Finch(50 of 53 balls) and Hughes(83 of 103 balls) set the tone for a big score. Shane Watson returned to form with a fluent 53 of 50 balls.Glenn Maxwell added more woes to the Indian camp with his knock of 53 of 32 balls.But,the skipper,Bailey was the man who took his side to a huge score by batting till the end,smashing 92 of just 50 balls.

India's bowling continued to be mediocre and wayward with hardly a memorable delivery bowled all day.Australia smashed 12 sixed and 36 fours with the Indian team appearing clueless on how to stop the onslaught.

Chasing a massive 360 to win,India's openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma started cautiously but still managed to keep the required rate within bounds.The duo added 176 for the opening wicket in just 26 overs before Dhawan was caught behind off the bowling of Faulkner.Kohli came in to bat at number three with India still needing another 184 to chase down Australia's mammoth 359 run target.He along with Rohit was involved in an unbroken 186-run stand for the second wicket as India reached the target with 39 balls to spare.Virat Kohli scored the fatest hundred by an Indian batsman in ODIs as he smashed an unbeaten 100 off just 52 balls,overtaking Virender Sehwag's record of a hundred off 60 balls that he made against New Zealand in 2009.In his record-breaking knock, Kohli stroked eight boundaries and seven sixes.His shots were pure cricketing strokes and not slogs that one generally associates with power-hitting and limit over cricket.

India's run chase of 360 was the best ever by an Indian side and the second best of all time.

The teams will now head to Mohali wehere they will resume the battle with the series tied at 1-1.

India might have been a little overconfident, and well they have paid the price by an ODI loss. Not many cricket experts would have predicted that, but well strange things do happen in cricket. The Indians would be all fired up, and expect no less than a fighting comeback from them in this, 2nd ODI. It’s going to be another fierce battle between the Indian batsmen and the Ausssie bowlers, the one who comes on top might lead their team to victory.

Indian batting looked out of sorts and was unable to make up for their sad bowling performance. Ishant and Vinay need to improve and focus on bowling in the right areas, else India will again have to bat really well to win this match. On the other hand, the Australian batting came good and they posted a huge total on board. George Bailey marshaled his troops really well and the result proved that too.

Team News

The pitch and conditions in Jaipur will suit the Indians better than the ones at Pune. The slowness of the wicket will assist spinners like Ashwin, Jadeja and Yuvraj which could turn the tide in India’s favor. Whatever the playing 11 may be, their bowling must tighten up and prove why are they the bowling line up for the #1 team in ICC ODI rankings. With Mishra and Zaheer waiting In the wings, each bowler must stand up and perform else they would be replaced as the Indians are trying different combinations to find the best suitable match.

The Australians seem to be a batsman short, particularly if Finch, Hughes and Bailey fail. Maxwell and Haddin do make up for the 6th batsman, but with an out of form Watson, Australia just need the extra cushion. Their bowling is the primary asset, and if it performs as a unit like it did in the last game, another victory can be assured. The Indian batsmen will not repeat the same mistakes, but who knows what might happen in cricket.


Probable Teams

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Dhoni (c)(wk), Ravi Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vinay Kumar , Ishant Sharma/Jaydev Unadkat

X-Factor: Ravi Ashwin has had a very stable career till date, and it is mainly because of his ties with CSK and his connection with the captain. He has performed decently in the past too, but is being taken to the cleaners lately. With India’s bowling strength being mainly spin, Ashwin must step up and raise his game else Amit Mishra would be called on to replace Ashwin. With figures of 1-17-0, and 2-41-0 in the CLt20 semis and the T20 game against Australia, one might question his ability. He did pick up 2 wickets in the last game, but both came in the later part of the innings and not when his captain needed the breakthroughs.

Australia: Aaron Finch, Philip Hughes, Shane Watson, Adam Voges, George Bailey(c), Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin (wk), James Faulkner, Clint Mckay, Mitchell Johnson, Xavier Doherty

X-Factor: Mitchell Johnson was awesome in the last game, and the way he troubled the Indians with his pace was fascinating to watch. He mixed it up by bowling Yorkers, bouncer, slower balls and the quicker ones too (which clocked more than 150.0 km/hr). He is the main asset Australia have in the bowling department, and he is the one who will be brought on everytime India’s ace batsman Yuvraj walks in to bat. The short ball he bowled to get Yuvraj was an unplayable delivery, and if he can get Yuvi again he will do Australia a more than useful favor.



Expected Result: India Win

Not many would be interested in this game as Sachin’s retirement is still fresh in 2 billion minds, but well this is an important game. The Indian team are clearly favorites to win and the crowd would be backing them to do so too. Finch and Watson would be key at the top of the order, but if the Indians can break through them successfully then the Aussies would possibly be in trouble. 

It’s going to be a battle of which team has the better combination, Australia who could possibly play the extra batsman, or India who will be playing 2 solid all-rounders in Jadeja and Yuvraj. The Indians seem to have the upper hand here too, but one good innings from any of the Aussie batsmen could turn things around. The spinners will also come into play, for Australia possibly Doherty and Voges whereas for India Yuvraj, Jadeja and Ashwin.

Team News
The only doubt that the Indian team management would have is over the form of Ashwin, and whether he needs to be benched for a few games and give Mishra a shot, however that is unlikely to happen. India might as well retain the same team and why not, they played brilliantly. Ishant has to tighten up a bit and be more consistent, and Rohit Sharma has to put his hand up and say now it is time for me to deliver on my promise. Promising players like Unadkat and Ahmed might just have to wait for the right chance, but they will definitely be given a look in later on in the tournament, if not in this game.

Australia would probably drop 2 of their all-rounders that played in the T20 along with Maddinson who is not in the squad, and play 3 regular batsmen in place of them. That definitely makes the batting stronger but at the same time also makes the bowling that much weaker. Watson and Voges would have to complete the 5th bowler’s quota and they would dearly hope that they do not run into an in-form Yuvi, Virat, Dhawan or any of the other Indian batsmen who can tear them apart.

Probable Teams

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Dhoni (c)(wk), Ravi Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vinay Kumar , Ishant Sharma/Jaydev Unadkat

X-Factor: Yuvraj Singh had expressed his emotional side in at the end of the last game where he said more than he is happy with his performance he is disappointed that his hero, Sachin Tendulkar had announced his retirement. If there is one man who is in the running for the no.4 slot in test matches, it is Yuvraj. A good couple of performances in this series and he could be the man India would look forward to and he never fails to deliver. With Ashwin not being very productive with the ball, Dhoni might turn to Yuvi to chip in with a few overs and he is no mug with the ball, and Kevin Pietersen knows that better than anyone :)

Australia: Aaron Finch, Philip Hughes, Shane Watson, Adam Voges, George Bailey(c), Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin (wk), James Faulkner, Clint Mckay, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Xavier Doherty

X-Factor: Australia could do much better with an in-form Adam Voges as he is one who has been a regular in the limited version of the game, and this series would be a test to judge his place in the side. Voges would also have to step in and bowl a few overs as Australia cannot afford to drop Hughes or Ferguson as that would make their batting line up really thin and if you do not post a big total against the Indians, you might as well pack your bags after the 1st innings itself.

Expected Result: India Win