IND vs AUS | India's predicted XI for the first ODI
India and Australia are set to lock horns in the first of the three-match ODI series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai with India's middle-order and lower-middle order in focus against a powerpacked Australian bowling line-up. Who will play alongside Rohit Sharma? KL Rahul or Shikhar Dhawan?
Openers
Rohit Sharma: Having rested for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, Rohit Sharma will be back in the playing eleven for the first ODI without a doubt. Rohit had a fantastic 2019 scoring five centuries in the World Cup and he will be looking to start 2020 in the same way and help his team get off to a good start.
KL Rahul: KL Rahul is likely to partner Rohit at the top because of his current form. Barring the half-century versus Sri Lanka in the third T20I, Shikhar Dhawan did not look at his fluent best and struggled against the new ball. KL Rahul, on the other hand, has been extremely consistent over the past two months and deserves a nod ahead of the southpaw. His free-flowing strokes early in the innings will help Rohit settle down and then play his natural game as the innings progresses.
Middle-order
Virat Kohli: There was never a doubt here, was there any? Virat Kohli has arguably been the best ODI batsman for quite a while now and he will be crucial to India's chances of winning the series. He will look to bat through the innings while other batsmen will be playing around him to help India post big totals or chase down targets.
Shreyas Iyer: The Indian team management seems to finally have identified their potential number four for the future in Shreyas Iyer. Iyer has done well in the chances that he has got and will be looking to perform well with the bat against Australia. He has the ability to play a run-a-ball inning and also to knows to use the long handle, making him a versatile batsman.
Rishabh Pant: Under pressure and immense criticism almost all the time, Rishabh Pant is still India's first-choice wicketkeeper. Although his stroke-making and shot selection has been questioned more often than not, Pant has been backed by the Indian team to do well eventually. With the likes of Sanju Samson waiting in the wings and MS Dhoni not having called it a day on his ODI career, Pant will have to start delivering consistent performances with the bat.
Kedar Jadhav: To the surprise of many, the team management and selectors persisted with Kedar Jadhav in the squad instead of an in-form Suryakumar Yadav. Jadhav has had an extremely ordinary 2019 and has been under severe pressure. Perhaps the only thing that saved him from getting dropped might be his ability to bowl a few overs. With the tour of New Zealand coming up, Jadhav will have to perform with the bat in order to save his place in the squad.
All-rounders
Ravindra Jadeja: Ever since his whirlwind innings which almost won India the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup against New Zealand, Jadeja has been a regular in the Indian side and has shown how important he is to the team especially with his improved batting. In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Jadeja would provide that much-needed cover and finishing ability that India so desperately need. Being a smart bowler and a gun fielder provides India with a complete utility player in the form of Jadeja.
Shardul Thakur: Having won the game for India with the bat against West Indies in the third ODI and helped India post 201 in the third T20I against Sri Lanka, it is safe to say that Shardul Thakur can be considered as an all-rounder. Thakur has always been pretty vocal about his batting ability and believed that he can contribute to the team with the bat on a regular basis. His ability to swing the ball up top and then use his variations at the death makes him an important player for India.
Bowlers
Kuldeep Yadav: Kuldeep Yadav was fantastic in the ODI series against the West Indies in the second ODI, becoming the only bowler to have two ODI hattricks. His ability to beat the batsman in the air with his subtle change in variations will be of great importance to India in the middle-overs. Yadav will be hoping to pick some wickets with Australia traditionally not playing wrist spin well.
Navdeep Saini: Having played only one ODI, Navdeep Saini just proved with his raw pace what exactly he can offer to the team. Along with the new ball up top, Saini also has the ability to bowl the yorker at searing pace and hurrying the batsman giving him very little time to react. The man of the series against Sri Lanka, Saini will look to nail down his place in the ODI side with a good performance against Australia.
Jasprit Bumrah: Jasprit Bumrah is returning after a long injury lay-off and thus can be rusty to begin with. But he was impressive against Sri Lanka and at the depth showed what exactly India was missing. He will surely be India's main weapon against the likes of Steve Smith and David Warner and will be very crucial to India's chances of winning the series.
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