First ODI between India and Australia aims for balance

The penultimate practice match before the ICC World Cup, which begins on October 5, will see the newly crowned Asia Cup winners India taking on Australia in the first of the three games of the ODI series on Friday in Mohali.

The absence of key players from the first two games, including regular captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav, would allow team management to evaluate the bench strength in the lead-up to the quadrennial championship event.

The Asia Cup leadership has been given to star wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul, who made a comeback in the second part of the tournament. The Mumbai combo of Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer, as well as the return of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was a surprise selection in the lineup, will be the focus of all attention, however.

Suryakumar Yadav, who has secured his spot in the T20I team with a few game-winning hits, has struggled to carry over his T20I success to the ODI format. The 33-year-old’s average of less than 25 in 27 games has caused experts to question why he was selected over young Mumbai all-rounder Tilak Verma.

After a protracted injury layoff, Shreyas, 28, returned to action but soon developed a back strain, forcing him to miss the opening round of the Asia Cup. The right-hander is anticipated to move up to No. 3 in Virat’s absence, while Ishan Kishan may team up with local favorite Shubman Gill at the top.

In top form, Gill will be eager to impress in his very first game at the PCA Stadium in Mohali in front of a home crowd.

The quadriceps injury to Axar Patel in the bowling attack has offered the 37-year-old Ravichandran Ashwin more opportunities and raised his chances of being called up to the World Cup team at the last minute.

Despite playing his last ODI in January 2022, Ashwin has found himself back in the running for the World Cup. The skipper has backed up his expertise while defending his selection for the Australia series.

The Tamil Nadu off-spinner will be excited to return to the PCA, where he led the Punjab Kings for a few IPL seasons, and will want to perform at his best given the good possibilities of playing in his third and likely last World Cup. Ashwin and his statemate Washington Sundar will have a great chance to argue their claims for selection to the World Cup squad while Pandya and Kuldeep are out of the picture.

Australia, on the other hand, will try to recover from its 2-3 setback to South Africa and take maximum advantage of the circumstances before its tense World Cup encounter against India on October 8. The squad will benefit from the return of captain Pat Cummins and Steven Smith from injury absences, but it is unclear if Glenn Maxwell, who is anticipated to arrive on Friday, will participate in the next two contests. In addition, Mitchell Starc of the Pacers will miss the first contest as he recovers from a groin ailment.

The loss of Australia’s Travis Head, who broke his hand, will be a blow to the team. Young substitute opener Matt Short will seek to make an impact against the Indians in Head’s stead.

Squads:

KL Rahul (captain and wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja (vice-captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd.

Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Adam Zampa, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Tanvir Sangha, and Matt Short are the players for Australia.