Arthur expects India to fight back
Hurting after being whitewashed in the Test series, India would be a “totally different” team in the upcoming Twenty20 internationals and the ODI tri-series, Australia coach Mickey Arthur said on Monday.
“I think we’re going to see a totally different India. There’s no doubt in my mind. They’re definitely hurting. They’ve got players in who bring a huge amount of enthusiasm with the likes of (Suresh) Raina, Rohit Sharma,” Arthur told reporters ahead of the first Twenty20 here on Wednesday.
“(Virat) Kohli is a quality player. Players like Ravindra Jadeja bring a huge amount to the side. I’m sure they’re going to come very strong at us.”
Arthur took a dig at the Indians for not making enough “friends” or promoting the game thus far in the summer but believed the younger lot would be a force to reckon with in the shorter formats over the next few weeks.
“It’s probably not a way to make friends but that’s their problem. We’re hoping with our good performance we promote it,” said Arthur after reporters asked whether the Indians, with their cricket or the way they’ve shied away from media this summer, are actually promoting the game.
Every senior, except Rahul Dravid, has shied away from squaring up to media due to the dismal performance of the team and Sachin Tendulkar’s non-appearance even once has the Australian media frothing in disapproval.
The home Twenty20 squad includes both Shaun and Mitchell Marsh despite the former’s poor form in the four Tests. “If I said he (Shaun Marsh) was fine, I would probably be lying. He has had a tough time of it. But I thought his efforts in the field were fantastic. He never once dragged the dressing room down,” he said.
“That’s the type of character we want. He will go back and he will score runs and he will be back again. They (the two brothers) get on really well and I know he was rapt for Mitch and Mitch is obviously disappointed for him but they will play together for a long time to come,” he added.
Another failure from the Test series, wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, has been given a break in the one-day internationals.
“I’ve had a good chat to Brad and he knows exactly where he stands, if Brad wants to play on. He feels he has a lot to contribute and so do I but like any other player, players need to give us ammunition to keep picking him.”
“He (Haddin) has been ticking over. But we need to take two wicketkeepers to the West Indies and we probably have the best two in mind,” Arthur said.
