Aaron Finch rates India-Austalia white-ball rivalry as intense as Tests between the two sides

When India won their maiden Test series in Australia in 2018-19, coach Ravi Shastri proudly claimed that the win was bigger than India’s World Cup victory. It also bolstered the belief that the Indo-Aus rivalry Test, over the years, has metamorphosed into a tussle as big as the Ashes and India vs Pakistan matches. Australia’s white-ball captain Aaron Finch believes that the rivalry between the two sides in the shorter formats is no less than others.

"India and Australia are two very successful teams, two countries that are very passionate about cricket as well... So it's hard to compare the rivalry (in Tests and ODIs)," Finch said.

"One is the traditional game of Test cricket and the grind of five days... that mental battle day in day out while one-day cricket is more skill-based obviously, just on that day. If a couple of guys have a great day on the field, it goes a long way in winning the match. That said, it's (rivalry) not a case of being less important or being taken lightly because it's ODI or T20 cricket,” he added.

Finch also praised the Indian skipper Virat Kohli for his consistent run across the three formats of the game. 

“What has been so impressive for so long is just his consistency across three formats. To be the best player of all-time in ODI cricket is one thing but then to also be in Test cricket and T20 cricket as a rounded player that is remarkable,” he said on the Sony Ten Pit Stop show.

Earlier, spinner Nathan Lyon had also rated the India vs Australia Test series at par with the Ashes and said that he was keen on avenging the loss the Aussies suffered the last time Kohli’s men toured Down Under.