IND vs AUS, 1st ODI: Rahul set to play, Kishan to open with Gill, No Umran- READ MORE

India will play Australia in a three-match One-Day International series after winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1. The first game is scheduled for Friday, March 17, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Due to personal commitments, regular ODI captain Rohit Sharma will not be able to play in the series opener, so Hardik Pandya will lead the team in Mumbai.

Many Indian players will want to perform well and impress Rahul Dravid and his management team before the ODI World Cup begins

In the ODI format, the home team will also want to build a winning pace in preparation for the ICC showpiece event. The selectors and team management will also face a significant challenge as they search for the tournament’s ideal pairing.

It is anticipated that Shubman Gill, who performed admirably in the fourth Test, will open for India. In his last four matches for India in one-day internationals this year, the 23-year-old has scored three centuries. Rohit’s nonappearance could see Shubman open with Ishan Kishan, who has frustrated and has neglected to expand on his record-breaking 210 versus Bangladesh in December 2022.

Ishan may have this opportunity to demonstrate his potential as an opener and increase his likelihood of receiving additional top-order opportunities. He will also take on the role of wicketkeeper. Kishan has scored 507 runs in 13ODIs, and he hopes to put more pressure on the World Cup selection committee.

Virat Kohli will undoubtedly bat first. 3, and in the fourth Test against Australia, the former India captain finally scored his 28th Test century, ending a three-year wait for a century in the longest format. He will need to be the backbone of his team’s innings, just like in the final Test. As a result of Shreyas Iyer’s injury, Suryakumar Yadav now has the chance to bat at no. 4 and the global no. One T20I batter will want to secure a spot in the Indian ODI team.

During the Test series, KL Rahul received a lot of criticism for his bad form, and in the first ODI, he will be under a lot of pressure. He probably won’t say no. 5, something he has done previously. He will be hoping to get back to his best before the World Cup.

Hardik, the match captain, had previously led India in one ODI last year against West Indies. Even though his own health has been declining recently, his captaincy has significantly improved. He will try to dominate Australia with his usual dominance with both bat and ball. For his performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ravindra Jadeja shared the title of Player of the Series with R Ashwin. He will also be crucial with the bat for India, in addition to his spin power.

India’s selection problems begin in the bowling department. It will be challenging to fill in for Washington Sundar now that Jadeja is back. Kuldeep Yadav has done more than enough in his last few appearances to start ahead of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal as the lead spinner.

Along with Mohammed Siraj, it is expected that Mohammed Shami will lead India’s pace battery. Shami led the pace attack with leadership and calmness during the Test series against Australia. With the new ball, he’ll be crucial to the home team. In the meantime, Siraj has forever been India’s go-to bowler in tough spots, and his death bowling abilities could prove to be useful for Hardik.

Shardul Thakur and Umran Malik will compete for the position of third seamer. Shardul leads the race due to his batting skills and luck in taking wickets, whereas the latter has pace and can be useful in the middle overs.