Looking to exploit the fast and bouncy conditions at the WACA, Australian opener Aaron Finch on Sunday said his team would look to corner the Indians early on in the opening cricket ODI on January 12.
India last played an ODI at the WACA against Australia in 2004 and even though the wicket has changed since, Finch believes the hosts can still put the visitors in a spot of bother.
“The Perth wicket has changed over the last few years. I don’t think that there is same amount of carry that used to be. But there is extra bounce and that’s something that they will have to adjust to and we can start to exploit that straightaway in the very first game of the series.
“But I think their young players, who have come at the back of the seniors, like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli are pretty well-rounded players. I am sure they will adapt but if we can exploit that first hour I think that can go a long way to winning a match,” Finch told reporters after a net session here.
Having beaten India in the semifinals en route to their fifth 50-over World Cup triumph, Australia go into the five-match series as favourites and Finch said it feels good to be in that position.
“When you have that tag, that means you have played good cricket. It means you are favourites or there is excitement around your team because you have played so well in the past and I think that is something for which we can hold our head high.
“We had a great World Cup, we had a great couple of years leading into it. So, I think we deserve that tag and there is no reason why there shouldn’t be a big build-up and such excitement around our team,” he said.
Finch, who has a decent average of 38.06 in 52 ODIs, is confident of himself and the Australian team.
