The Australian tour of India for the limited overs series is about to get underway with the first ODI in Chennai this Sunday. Indian pacer Mohammed Shami recently talked about the series and how the team is ready to stand up to the opposition.

The Steve Smith-led side is well-known for its sledging and they don’t spare anyone whether they play at home or away. The incidents involving Australia’s sledging with India are even more popular and Mohammed Shami reckons that the Indian side will not hold back if the opposition gets aggressive.

“Sledging is a part of the game. When your opposition has struck a partnership in the game, you sledge the batsmen to break their focus. This comes from naturally. We sledge but never using bad words. Sledging is very important when you have to dismiss a set batsman or break a partnership,” he said in an interview with India TV.

Tit for Tat

“We are 100 percent ready to take on the Australian sledging. If they sledge us, they will get the appropriate reply. It will be a tit for tat reply. I think we are performing well from the past few series. We just clean swept Sri Lanka. We are confident of winning the series,” he added.

Shami featured in the Test series against Sri Lanka where he made a comeback to the side. Later, he was rested for the limited overs series in the island nation but has been recalled to the side for the all-important series against Australia.

The 27-year-old is a part of the new-look Indian pace attack that is looking far better than ever. He is well in contention for a place in the 2019 ODI World Cup squad due to his impressive performances. The right-hander said that he focusses on basics and doesn’t plan against anyone. “I have never planned against any particular batsman. I am just focused on my basics,” the Bengal pacer concluded.