India and Australia will resume their rivalry in the 50-over format at Wankhede Stadium, the host of the first ODI of the series. The last time two teams faced each other, Australia made a comeback after losing the first two ODIs and defeated the hosts 3-2. That time, they didn’t have the services of Steven Smith and David Warner but on this occasion, the visiting team has the services of the duo. It will be an onerous task for India to keep Australia at the bay.
Conditions –
Wankhede’s wicket is a flat one and expect both the teams to pile on big scores. Since the match is likely to end at before 9 PM, dew should not play a major role in deciding the course of the game.
Here is the likely playing XI of both the teams –
Indian skipper Virat Kohli hinted that he might demote himself in the batting order to allow Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan to play together. So expect all the three players to be part of the playing XI. With Mohammed Shami coming back, there will be a direct race between Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini for a place in the playing XI.
Yuzvendra Chahal, Shivam Dube, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Saini might sit out of the opening ODI.
Team India’s likely playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami
Australia
The visitors will also have a tough task to pick a perfect XI for the first ODI. It is unlikely that Marnus Labuschagne will get a chance at least in the opening ODI of the series. It also remains to be seen if Peter Handscomb keeps his place in the playing XI.
Australia’s likely playing XI: David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steven Smith, Alex Carey, Ashton Turner, Peter Handscomb, Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood
My Dream11 team for IND vs AUS 1st ODI
Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Steven Smith (Vice-Captain), David Warner, Aaron Finch, Alex Carey, Ravindra Jadeja, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Kuldeep Yadav