India aim to regain top spot in fifth one-dayer

Nagpur: India will aim for a return to the top spot in One Day International (ODI) rankings when they face Australia in the fifth and final match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur on Sunday. The hosts, who have already clinched the five-match ODI series with an unassailable 3-1 lead, slipped to the second spot after losing the fourth tie in Bengaluru by 21 runs on Thursday. Australia rode on an all-round show, with openers Aaron Finch and David Warner starring with the bat alongside pacer Kane Richardson’s three-wicket haul to clinch their first victory in the series. India will look to get back to winning ways banking on in-form batsmen Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav. The hosts, who played pacers Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav in place of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, will be forced to make changes in the bowling department, which failed to look lethal in the last match. Spinners Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal will be the key in the middle overs to provide important breakthroughs. The visitors, however, will look to emulate the previous ODI to end the series on a respectable note. Openers Warner and Finch will be the key to their batting line-up. The side will also be looking to skipper Steven Smith to play a big role with the bat. In the bowling department, pacers Nathan Counter-Nile and Richardson will look to vary their pace to make inroads into the Indian batting. The online sale of tickets for the T20 match between the two sides, scheduled to be held in Hyderabad on October 13, began on Saturday. The tickets would be available on www.eventsnow.com, HCA secretary T Shesh Narayan told reporters. The HCA is taking steps to ensure that eatables sold to spectators don’t exceed set prices, he said. Replying to a query, he said the association would take a serious view of corruption and other malpractices in matches wherever noticed. Subhadra, an official for women’s cricket, who was present on the occasion, said there has been a rise in response from prospective women players after the sterling performance of the Indian women’s cricket team during the recent World Cup.