A peculiar Vizag pitstop in World Cup marathon for India, Australia

While in Vizag, it's hard to miss the makeover in progress. The city walls are being painted and the roads relaid as Andhra Pradesh's newly declared capital gets ready to host the G20 summits. As a countdown to the event, a city marathon from RK beach was being organised for Sunday morning before it had to be postponed owing to bad weather. The Andhra Cricket Association will hope that the second ODI between India and Australia, another marquee event that the municipal corporation hopes to use for G20 build-up and which is scheduled on the same day as the marathon, doesn't witness weather getting in the way.

India arrive in the city with a lead but well aware that there wasn't much between the sides in Mumbai. And that on the kind of batting-friendly pitches that are usually dished up in Vizag, Australia's dauntingly long line-up populated with allrounders could hurt them. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, death bowling is something India would like to look at. KL Rahul's form in the middle order, though, would continue to give them hope; it's a long-term World Cup plan that seems to be