The hype around the upcoming India-Australia series is yet to hit the roof, but there is enough excitement ahead of the first ODI, starting September 17 in Chennai.
A lot is being said about the rivalry between two of the leading run-scorers of the modern era - Steve Smith and Virat Kohli. Both captains would want to put up a good show with the bat to assert their dominance over the other.
Notably, the last time these two teams played ODIs in India - seven-match series in 2013 - both teams were scoring 300 per innings at will. The bowlers had a nightmare series as Australia's lowest score over seven matches was 295.
Both teams are loaded with power-hitters, who are expected to smash records, this time as well, on batting friendly wickets across the venues in the upcoming series. Bowlers will have to work hard to prevent batsmen from running riot.
However, here are few, who will command respect from their opposition batsmen, including the likes of Smith and Kohli.
IBTimes India complies a list of four bowlers, two from each team, who are expected to grab the limelight in the upcoming limited-overs series.
India
Kuldeep Yadav
In a short span of time, Kuldeep has emerged as one of the most exciting bowlers in world cricket. The chinaman bowler has taken , after making his ODI debut in June against West Indies, has only played seven matches and has taken 11 wickets.
However, batsmen have found it extremely difficult to read the wrist-spinner off his hands. The 22-year-old uses the googly to good effect as well.
Notably, Kuldeep made his Test debut against Australia earlier this year in Dharamsala and made an instant impact with a match-winning effort of 4 for 68 in the first innings.
Australia though have been preparing hard at the nets to tackle the chinaman threat. Notably, they have roped in Kerala mystery spinner KK Jiyas to help them prepare to tackle the spin threat in the ODIs.
In the absence of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep, despite being young and inexperienced, will be key to India's chances.
Jasprit Bumrah
From starting as a four-over T20 expert to establishing himself as one of the lethal fast bowlers in 50-over cricket, Jasprit Bumrah has come a long way since making his ODI debut in Sydney last year. The Gujarat pacer had removed Smith and James Faulkner in the match.
Bumrah is regarded as a death-bowling expert, but he showed his expertise with the new ball when he was given the opportunity by Kohli in Sri Lanka last month.
The 23-year-old, who troubles batsmen with his unique action, finished with 15 wickets at a miserly 3.90 in Sri Lanka to become the pacer with most number of wickets in a bilateral series consisting five matches.
Having shared the dressing room with quite a few of the Australian batsmen at Mumbai Indians (MI) in Indian Premier League (IPL), Bumrah is well-equipped to hurt the visitors.
Australia
Pat Cummins
Australians are known for their lethal pace battery. However, in the upcoming tour, they will be without their premier pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood due to injury concerns.
In their absence, the burden of leading the Australian attack falls on 24-year-old Pat cummins, who is known for his raw pace.
Cummins has played only one ODI against India so far, but the New South Wales fast bowler impressed when he picked up eight wickets over two Test matches against Kohli's side earlier this year.
Cummins returned to India to play the IPL, in which he represented Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The right-arm pacer came up with impressive performances for the Gautam Gambhir-led side, picking up 15 wickets in 12 games.
However, it will be interesting to see how Smith manages Cummins' workload in hot and humid conditions in India as the fast bowler is prone to injuries.
Adam Zampa
For Australia to pose a serious threat to the Indian batsmen, leg-spinner Adam Zampa needs to be on top of his game.
Zampa has not played a ODI game against India, but his exploits in the country makes him the bowler to watch out for, in the upcoming series.
Zampa was Australia's highest wicket-taker at the World T20 2016 in India with five wickets. He operated at an economy rate of 6.27 at the premier T20 tournament.
The 25-year-old then impressed during his outing for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) at the 2016 IPL with 12 wickets from just five games at an average of 9.58. His 6 for 19 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) last year was the second-best figures in the IPL history.
With quick-arm action and highly potent wrong'uns, Zampa, who will be Smith's go-to-man, will look to trouble the famous Indian batting line-up. The leg-spinner's spells in the middle overs will be crucial to Australia's chances.
