Aaron Finch: Indian challenge excites us

Riding on Test success back home, Oz skipper oozes confidence ahead of ODIs

Last year, Australia bounced back to clinch the five-match ODI series, beating hosts India 3-2. This year, they are riding on five successive Test wins against Pakistan and New Zealand at home. The confidence is obviously high as Aaron Finch & Co prepare for the three-match ODI series, starting in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Skipper Finch felt mental preparation is the key to success against Indian bowlers in their own backyard. "You've got guys like [Jasprit] Bumrah, who can move the ball. You've got the consistency of [Ravindra] Jadeja, [Yuzvendra] Chahal, Kuldeep [Yadav], so you can't take either of the challenges lightly. You have to be prepared with your own game plan mentally to challenge them," Finch said at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.

"In international cricket, you can't take anything lightly. You can't put more emphasis on one [spin or pace] over the other, else you'll find come up short," said Finch, 33, who is keen to continue winning overseas consistently.

"There have been a lot of wins, one big challenge is to continue and keep improving especially in away conditions. Most teams are very comfortable playing at home. For us, to go away and continue to win and challenge the best teams on a regular basis is really important. It's something we are excited about here."

Howver, the Australian opener, who has scored 4559 runs in 119 ODIs however, is well aware of the precaution that must be taken to excel here. "In India, you have to be really disciplined with the basics. A lot of time you can get caught up in worrying about things that aren't all that relevant. At the end of the day, all you have to do is stick to the basics for a long time," Finch concluded.

'Bumrah v Labuschagne will be interesting'

Australia's Marnus Labuschagne, 25, who has scored 1459 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 63.43 has been called up for his maiden ODI series, and skipper Aaron Finch felt it will be an exciting contest between him and India's pace ace Jasprit Bumrah. "Yes, that [contest] is going to be exciting. The improvement we have seen in Marnus's game over the last 12 months has been huge and that has been reflected in his scores and the impact that he is having in Tests," Finch said on Friday. "And Bumrah is obviously a fantastic bowler and someone who, when you are not playing against, you'd love to watch him bowl. He is fast and aggressive and his execution is pretty spot on," Finch added.

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