Exactly on this day 45 years ago, Australia and West Indies took part in a historic day/night ODI match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney. The match was a part of the Benson & Hedges World Tri-Nations series featuring the host Australia along with West Indies and England.

The clash between Australia and West Indies was the inaugural match of the tri-series which was played in coloured clothing and with a white leather ball. That day marked a new chapter in the history of ODI cricket since its inception in 1971. 

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Australia triumphed in the opening encounter of the Benson & Hedges Tri-series

In a first, the opening match of the tournament was played under floodlights attracting an enormous number of spectators to the stadium. After winning the toss, Australian captain Greg Chappell inserted West Indies to have a bat first.

Alvin Kallicharran top-scored for the Windies but missed out on his well-deserved half-century by one run. The Australian pace attack was led by Dennis Lillee and Len Pascoe who accounted for six dismissals while Allan Border finished with sublime figures of 3-36 to restrict West Indies to 193. 

The Australian skipper led from the front and constructed a well-compiled score of 74 (100) and Kim Hughes added a superb 52 (60) to help Australia chase down the target by five wickets with 17 balls to spare. 

Despite the defeat in the series opener, West Indies managed to reach the final where they faced England in a two-match final series. They won both the matches by 2-0 in the final to clinch the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup title. 

Further advancements 

In 1979, when the ICC and World Series Cricket came to an understanding, the first floodlit One Day International was introduced, starting from the tri-series in Australia. 

Further on, the influence of Floodlit cricket slowly spread to other parts of the world, although England was slow to take it up due to their climate. However, the Floodlit system made its first major breakthrough when it was first officially used in a first-class Sheffield Shield game in 1994 in Australia.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of their availability for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka next month. The BCCI’s senior selection committee is expected to meet on Thursday evening via Zoom call, as board secretary Jay Shah is in Sri Lanka for the International Cricket Council annual conference.

The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee, in consultation with the BCCI, has decided that Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Indian T20I team for the three-match series, while Rohit will continue as captain for the ODIs. The Indian Express had earlier reported that Suryakumar was in line for the T20I captaincy as the selectors were uncertain about appointing Hardik Pandya due to his past fitness record. Pandya had served as India’s vice-captain during their triumphant T20 World Cup campaign.

The selection committee has informed the BCCI that they are open to replacing Suryakumar Yadav as captain in the future if his performance does not meet expectations. The BCCI is considering Suryakumar to lead the Indian team at the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.

Although Hardik Pandya seemed a front-runner for the captaincy, it is understood that BCCI officials and selectors have spoken to Pandya to explain their plans for the next two years and their preference for Suryakumar.

Skilled players for ODIs

Meanwhile, the experienced players on the team have agreed to newly appointed coach Gautam Gambhir’s request to participate in the three-match ODI series, as it will be his first series as a coach.

Pandya will only be playing in the T20Is and will not be part of the ODI squad. The senior selection committee has decided to rest their ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah for the short series. Rishabh Pant will feature in both Indian squads.

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Riyan Parag: The unexpected challenger

According to The Indian Express, Rajasthan Royals middle-order batsman Riyan Parag has made a strong case for a spot in the Indian middle-order and is expected to be selected for both the ODI and T20I teams. The selection committee is exploring new talents for the future, and Parag, who can also bowl, is likely to be included in both squads. His inclusion suggests that Suryakumar Yadav won’t be part of the ODI squad, while opener Yashasvi Jaiswal will feature exclusively in the T20I squad.

Shreyas Iyer, last seen in the ICC World Cup 50-over team, is set to make a comeback to the Indian ODI side. Earlier this year, the BCCI took a tough stance on Iyer, omitting him from the annual contract list. However, with his return to international cricket, he is expected to reclaim a spot in the BCCI’s annual contract soon. Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube is poised to feature in both squads, particularly with Pandya choosing to sit out of the ODIs.

The BCCI is likely to give a well deserved break to captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli for the upcoming three match ODI series against Sri Lanka in August. In their absence, either Hardik Pandya or KL Rahul will probably lead the Indian team.

Rohit and Kohli have had a busy schedule over the past three months, starting with the Indian Premier League (IPL). Both players have asked the BCCI for an extended break to rest and recharge before their next international matches.

Rohit’s continuous participation

This will be Rohit’s first break in nearly six months. He has been playing continuously since the South Africa Test series in December-January, followed by the Afghanistan T20Is, the England Test series, the IPL, and the recent T20 World Cup.

A BCCI source said, “Both are automatic choices in ODI set up and the three 50 over games against England before the Champions Trophy is good enough practice for them. For next few months, they both will prioritize Tests and India will play 10 of them between September to January”

India’s packed schedule

India has a busy schedule ahead, starting with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh. Then they will face New Zealand in three Tests before the much anticipated Border Gavaskar Trophy, featuring five Test matches against Australia in Australia.

Given the demanding schedule, both the selectors and senior players want to manage their workload effectively. “The Champions Trophy will happen in mid February and they don’t need to go for a week-long 3 match ODIs in Sri Lanka. If they want, they are most welcome but I guess they would want rest,” the source added.

With Rohit unavailable, Pandya seems to be the favorite for the captaincy role. However KL Rahul, who recently led the ODI team in South Africa, is also a strong candidate and should not be overlooked.

In a recent development, the English Cricket Board (ECB) has expressed dissatisfaction with the scheduling of the 2nd edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) by the BCCI. The tournament is set to commence on February 23 and conclude on March 17, just two days before the England Women’s team embarks on a white-ball tour of New Zealand.

Consequently, the ECB made a request to the New Zealand Cricket Board to consider shifting the series dates, but this was not feasible. The challenge arose because the NZC had announced the schedule in July of the previous year, and the late release of the WPL schedule has posed a logistical issue for England in managing their 5-match T20I and 3-match ODI series.

The series is scheduled to commence on March 19 with the first T20I at the University Oval ground in Dunedin, followed by the remaining 4 T20Is on March 22, 24, 27, and 29. The ODI series is set to begin on April 1 at the Basin Reserve, with the remaining 2 ODIs taking place on April 4 and 7 at Seddon Park.

This series holds significant importance, particularly the T20I segment, as both England and New Zealand use it as a stepping stone in their preparations for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, scheduled to start in September.

Jon Lewis, the head coach of the England cricket team, affirmed that the ECB had exerted considerable efforts to persuade the New Zealand Cricket Board to adjust the dates. However, he subsequently attributed the challenge to the delayed release of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) schedule by the BCCI, suggesting that the prolonged timeline from the BCCI played a role in the scheduling predicament.

“We explored every conceivable option to ensure the availability of all our players during the New Zealand series, but unfortunately, it didn’t unfold as we had hoped,” expressed Jon Lewis to ESPNCricinfo.

Acknowledging the challenges, Lewis commented, “Yes, there are factors that other boards could have addressed, but they are beyond our control, to be honest. We’ve had to respond to the situation to the best of our ability; it’s quite a unique and complex scenario. We engage with each individual, discussing and formulating what we believe is the optimal plan for them.”

The ECB has indicated that it proposed an early departure for its players to New Zealand ahead of the Women’s Premier League knockouts, but it appears unlikely to materialize at this point.

“All players engaged in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) received our support to stay in India throughout the tournament,” conveyed an ECB official to Cricinfo.

Jon Lewis expresses dissatisfaction with the Women’s Premier League (WPL) scheduling,

Jon Lewis, the head coach of the England Women’s team, also serving as the head coach for UP Warriorz in the WPL, asserted that he plans to depart from India irrespective of the team’s standing in the league. His decision stems from the belief that the New Zealand series presents an ideal opportunity for the English team to assess and challenge themselves.

“Delivering a mesmerizing century against England, we aimed to ensure that all players currently in New Zealand with us receive a fair opportunity. Rather than dealing with the possibility of Nat Sciver-Brunt being eliminated one day, flying in three days later, and potentially taking someone else’s position in the team,” Lewis concluded.

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NZ vs SL, 1st ODI: New Zealand 274 (Allen 51, Ravindra 49, Mitchell 47, Karunaratne 4-43, Rajitha 2-38, Kumara 2-46) beat Sri Lanka 76 (Shipley 5-31, Mitchell 2-12, Tickner 2-20) by 198 runs

Henry Shipley destroyed Sri Lanka’s top order, scoring 5 for 31, and the team’s chase for 275 runs ended at 76 all out. Sri Lanka succumbed meekly to the bounce that Shipley, Blair Tickner, and even Daryl Mitchell generated on an Eden Park surface with a lot of carry after New Zealand had struggled to 274 all out, with Finn Allen scoring the highest on their scorecard with a score of 51.

Some Sri Lanka players tumbled to the short ball, which New Zealand’s hitters had additionally attempted to battle with in their innings. Others were dismissed by seamed full deliveries. The entire, sorry collapse was sparked by the run-out of opener Nuwanidu Fernando, who had charged most of the way down the field for a third despite his partner’s lack of interest.

Only three Sri Lankan batters scored twice or more; Angelo Mathews’s 18 was their highest individual score

Shipley, a tall bowler with a very high release point and a braced front leg in his delivery stride, not only produced awkward bounce on a helpful pitch but was also good when he pitched the ball up. He bowled Pathum Nissanka through the gate after jabbing the ball into the batter off the seam, which may have been his best delivery. He also had Dasun Shanaka deliver a fuller pitch to the slips later.

However, Charith Asalanka nicked a wideish short delivery to the keeper, Kusal Mendis was rushed into a pull and sent the ball to the fine-leg fielder, and Chamika Karunaratne holed out late in the game trying to bludgeon a pull. His three other wickets came from the short ball. In only his fourth ODI, Shipley made his first five-for international appearance. In point of fact, prior to this, he had only recorded three five-fors in both first-class and List A cricket.

Tickner and Mitchell each took two wickets, and Matt Henry was unfortunate not to get out because of how good his bowling was and how quickly Sri Lanka’s batsmen seemed to lose wickets. In the 20th over, Sri Lanka lost all their wickets. This was their fifth-lowest total ever and their lowest against New Zealand.

Mitchell had also played a role, scoring 47 runs to help New Zealand advance through the middle overs. However, Allen’s 51 at the top of the innings had given the hosts a boost. At first, he was successful against the seamers’ fuller deliveries, but then he hammered Wanindu Hasaranga’s leg spin for six runs.

Despite the loss of wickets at the other end, debutant Rachin Ravindra kept New Zealand alive in the final overs with an innings of 49 off 52 that was perhaps the most significant of the match. With the score at 152 for 5 in the 30th over, he and Glenn Phillips came together to make the only half-century stand in the game, scoring 66 runs off 59 balls.

Ravindra continued to meticulously accumulate in the company of the tail after Phillips was dismissed while trying to knock Dilshan Madushanka over the square-leg boundary. Before he himself holed out, he hit four fours and a six, a common dismissal for New Zealand batsmen who kept trying to clear the short straight boundary but were forced to do so against shorter lengths, which Sri Lanka’s bowlers used a lot. The final three deliveries of New Zealand’s innings went unplayed.

With the bat, Sri Lanka displayed little spine, but with the ball and field, they were spunky. Chamika Karunaratne depended on shy-of-a-length conveyances to bring him professional best figures of 4 for 43 from his nine overs. Kasun Rajitha took two wickets as well as Lahiru Kumara rapid and intense 2 for 46. Additionally, Sri Lanka grabbed any fish that came their way.

Sri Lanka’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup this year seem slim following this defeat. Sri Lanka is currently unable to reach 98 Super League points even with two wins against New Zealand if South Africa or Ireland win their remaining three games against the Netherlands and South Africa wins their two matches against the Netherlands.

In the thrilling third and final one-day international against Australia on Wednesday, India’s Suryakumar Yadav, the best T20 batter in the world, failed to score a run for the third time in a row.

Because of his ability to play all over the field in the shortest white-ball format, the explosive Yadav is known as a 360-degree player. However, he has yet to establish himself in the 50-over game.

In the 36th over of India’s chase in the final ODI, Yadav was bowled by Ashton Agar. With a target score of 270 needed to win the match in Chennai, that left the hosts reeling at 185-6.

In both the first and second matches of the series, the 32-year-old was caught behind by Mitchell Starc, both times on the first delivery of his innings

Yadav has the backing of India captain Rohit Sharma as an important candidate for the ODI World Cup in India later this year.

Suryakumar is the sixth Indian batsman to score three ducks in a row in one-day internationals. Others include Sachin Tendulkar in 1994, Anil Kumble in 1996, Zaheer Khan in 2003-2004, Ishant Sharma in 2010-2011, and Jasprit Bumrah in 2017-2019.

As the visitors won by a comfortable 21 runs in Chennai on Wednesday to clinch the three-match ODI series 2-1, the Indian batsmen once more gave in under the relentless pressure of the Australian spinners. Pursuing a solid objective of 270 on a precarious pitch, India were all out for 248 in 49.1 overs as Australia returned the series subsequent to losing the principal ODI by five wickets.

The Indian team’s series defeat demonstrates that it is far from prepared for the World Cup and that there are too many untied knots.

Australian spinners Adam Zampa (4/45) and Ashton Agar (2/41 in 10 overs) snagged as many as six Indian wickets in the match’s final 15 overs, allowing only 86 runs to be scored between them.

After the 35th over of the Indian innings, it became extremely challenging to hit big shots on the Chepauk track.

The game was over after Zampa bowled a few googlies to force Hardik Pandya (40 off 40 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (1 off 33 balls) to hit against the turn.

On March 17, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Hardik Pandya led Team India for the first time in a 50-over match against Australia. This was the first of three ODIs in the three-match series. Although he had captained India on multiple occasions in Twenty20 Internationals, this was his first One Day International as captain of a full-strength Indian team.

Because the regular captain, Rohit Sharma, was unable to attend the wedding of his brother-in-law, he was offered the position of captain of the Indian team. Pandya, on the other hand, made the most of his chance and helped India win the first game of the series.

A video of Pandya, Virat Kohli, and Kuldeep Yadav talking during the match is going viral on social media platforms despite the victory

Kohli was taken aback when the video shows Pandya abruptly leaving the conversation before Virat had finished speaking. Pandya’s abrupt departure from the discussion has surprised many, despite the fact that the clip does not reveal the entirety of the episode.

Rohit Sharma will once again lead the team in the second ODI of the series, which will be played on March 19 at the Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Pandya has been praised by former cricketers and experts in the field, who see him as a potential captaincy candidate for Team India despite the return of the regular captain.

Pandya led India to victory against a formidable Australian team in his ODI captaincy debut. Even though he abruptly left the conversation with Kohli and Yadav during the match, his leadership abilities have earned him recognition as a potential Indian cricket team captain. Pandya’s leadership and performance over the course of the series remain to be seen, but his first ODI captaincy certainly looked promising.

At the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, India bowled out Australia by 188 runs in the first one-day international. Mohammed Shami performed admirably. During his six-over spell, he took three wickets, two of which came from cleaning up the batters. 

Shami took his first wicket when he rattled Josh Inglis’ stumps, then he beat Cameron Green with a beautiful delivery. A decent length ball pitched around the off stump swung away from Green and sent his off stump cartwheeling.

Green had no chance against Shami’s delivery of 139.2 km/h with a little swing. He fell for 12 runs

On Friday, Shami and Mohammed Siraj each took three wickets as India bowled out Australia for a meager total. Additionally, Ravindra Jadeja impressed with a two-wicket innings. In the meantime, Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya each took a wicket.

In the wake of being placed into bat, Australia were 129 for 2 at one phase however they ultimately neglected to count on a decent beginning given by Mitchell Bog.

Before Ravindra Jadeja halted his assault in the 20th over, Marsh struck 81 off 65. A string of wickets fell as Australia, which had hoped to reach 300 without difficulty, failed to surpass 200. The visitors only scored 59 runs and lost their final eight wickets.

India’s stand-in captain Hardik Pandya had won the toss and chose to bowl first in the game.

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.

India’s focus now shifts to the one-day international against Australia, one of their final three 50-over matches until July, following their 2-1 victory in a challenging Test series to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Furthermore, with the World Cup at home in October and November, each series is a chance to tweak their best mix.

Several regulars who missed the Sri Lanka and New Zealand ODI series are back for India’s 2023 campaign, including Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. Others, such as Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant, have been sidelined with injuries, and it is unclear when they will return.

The following are some of the most important questions regarding India’s lineup for the ODI series against Australia:

Will Shreyas Iyer’s absence open up a spot for Suryakumar Yadav?

At No. 1, Shreyas has been successful. 4 – 805 runs at an average of 47.35, including two hundreds and five half-centuries in 20 innings; however, injuries have recently been a problem. Due to back stiffness, he was unable to play in the one-day internationals against New Zealand and is now out of the Australia series due to the same issue.

During the New Zealand series, Suryakumar Yadav replaced Shreyas and pitched two innings, scoring 31 and 14. He has, however, been unable to translate his explosive and consistent T20I form into ODI play. Suryakumar’s average in 50-over cricket is only 28.86, and he has only scored two half-centuries in 18 innings. Assuming still up in the air to open his true capacity in ODIs, they could hope to give him three additional games against Australia.

Ishan Kishan back to being reserve opener?

Suryakumar will rival Ishan Kishan and Rahul for putting in the middle order. During the New Zealand series, Kishan batted in the middle order. However, he was unable to improve on his record-breaking fastest ODI double-ton against Bangladesh in December.

India’s first-choice opener was widely anticipated to be Kishan following that injury; however, the team management supported Shubman Gill in that position, which has paid off. In the first ODI, Kishan is likely to partner with Gill as the opener, but if Rohit returns, he could return to being the reserve opener.

In six ODI innings this year, Gill has scored scores of 70, 21, 116, 208, 40*, and 112 — all as an opener. This makes it harder for Kishan to play when Rohit returns, unless the team management chooses him ahead of Suryakumar in the middle order.

His cause has not been helped by Kishan’s recent form. In white-ball formats, he has a highest score of 37 in nine innings since that Chattogram double-hundred. The left-handedness that India’s top order currently lacks, with Pant unavailable and Shikhar Dhawan out of favor, is what Kishan does bring.

Rahul – first-choice keeper in Pant’s absence?

Rahul was first considered as a regular wicketkeeper in white-ball cricket in January 2020, coincidentally, when Australia last visited India for one-day internationals. Rahul seized the opportunity with superb glovework and explosive middle-order batting after Pant suffered a concussion in Mumbai’s series opener; his 80 on a 52-ball at No. Before winning the series 2-1, 5 helped India level the series.

Since then, Rahul has become a regular white-ball keeper, even serving as one for his former IPL team, Kings XI Punjab. In India’s 16 innings as No. 5, Rahul has scored one hundred and six fifties while scoring 658 runs at an average of 50.61 and a strike rate of 102.17. Rahul will be eager to build on his growing middle-order credentials in the ODI format after losing his spot in the Test team to Gill.

What is India’s ideal allrounder combination?

Finding a balance between sufficient bowling options and batting depth is one of India’s most important decisions. In Jadeja’s nonattendance, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur filled in the bowling all rounders’ job to great impact in the New Zealand series.

With Jadeja back, India can additionally fortify their batting profundity, particularly on the off chance that they play each of the three – Hardik Pandya, Washington and Jadeja (Axar Patel is a choice too).

As a result, they will need to fill three bowling spots. They could stick with Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Thakur or give up Thakur’s No. 1 bat. 9 for Jaydev Unadkat’s left-arm variety or Umran Malik’s brash pace.

They could also select either Jadeja or Washington as the No. 1 pick. 7 with Thakur as number 8. They will be able to play Yuzvendra Chahal or Kuldeep Yadav, wrist spinners, while Shami, Siraj, and Malik vie for two slots. Or, if they decide that the conditions call for only two quicks and three spinners, they can select Hardik Pandya as a third seam-bowling option in addition to two specialist fast bowlers, a wrist spinner, and two spinning all-rounders.