Indian probable XI to face Australia in first ODI: Kishan in place of Rohit, Tilak at Kohli’s No. 3, Iyer healthy, Ashwin in place of Sundar

Fitness of Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar or Ravichandran Ashwin as Axar Patel’s backup, and game time for Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma. In only three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) against Australia before the World Cup starts, India will have many things to anticipate and many different lineups to experiment with. Some could argue that the third ODI only features the regulars, including skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, vice-captain Hardik Pandya, and top spinner Kuldeep Yadav. But head coach Rahul Dravid is aware that there has to be a balance between effort management and experimentation, between covering last-minute gaps and fortifying the bases.

The decision to rest Rohit, Kohli, Hardik, and Kuldeep for the first two games of the home series against Australia was made by “mutual consent” between India and Australia. It was quite logical. After his back ailment reappeared after the Asia Cup group stage, Shreyas Iyer has yet to demonstrate his readiness for the field. Iyer seems upbeat before the first ODI matchup with Australia in Mohali. He moved smoothly and seemed completely prepared to enter the field, in contrast to the latter part of the Asia Cup.

Iyer will be at number four, followed by Kishan, then Tilak, at number three.

Without Kohli, it would be tempting to move Iyer up to No. 3, but according to Dravid, it is unlikely since India would be relying on their World Cup first-XI players to fulfill the roles they would be playing during the championship match. Iyer will consequently start at No. 4. This also implies that KL Rahul, who served as the stand-in captain for the first two games, will bat in his normal No. 5 position rather than moving up a place. Then, who will start at No. 3?

India doesn’t have a direct alternative, but they do have a few people that can fill the position. Young Tilak Varma seems to be the front-runner among them. Although he is not a member of the World Cup team, he is thought to be a backup option in case one of the batters gets hurt throughout the lengthy competition. He also batted at No. 3 against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup Super 4 match when India choose to rest five of their main players.

Do the openers count? Ishan Kishan will get another chance at the top of the order now that Rohit isn’t there. Shubman Gill, who according to skipper Rohit, doesn’t want to take a vacation, would accompany him.

Suryakumar Yadav will compete in the World Cup.

Suryakumar Yadav’s World Cup support will remain solid, according to Dravid, despite his unimpressive ODI statistics (average of 24.41 in 27 games). Fair enough Surya, he hasn’t had a fixed position in ODI batting and has alternated between No. 4 and No. 7. Only the West Indies series was chosen by the Indian think tank as Surya’s position, at No. 6. In the first two One-Day Internationals against Australia, he will bat there.

Without a doubt, Ravindra Jadeja falls into position seven. Without Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur is a foregone conclusion. As a result, unless the Mohali pitch has anything to say, it is doubtful that Ashwin and Sundar would play together in the same XI against Australia.

Ashwin instead of Sundar

Since January of last year, Ashwin has not appeared in an ODI. He only played two games in the previous six years. However, due to Ashwin’s expertise and adaptability, he is always on every coach and selector’s mind. The Indian team management began considering alternatives as soon as Axar sustained an injury during the Asia Cup. There was no better off-spinner than Ashwin, but because he was unavailable for the Asia Cup final, Washington Sundar was added to the starting lineup.

The Indian team management is still optimistic that Axar will make a quick recovery in time for their World Cup opener against Australia on October 8, but they also have Ashwin and Sundar in case the left-hander is unable to play. Although they are both in the team for the three-game series against Australia, it is obvious who will be chosen as the top spinner.

In terms of the seamers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are expected to start, but Mohammed Shami will undoubtedly play a role in the series since Bumrah and Siraj are unlikely to play in all three games.

Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (c/wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj make up India’s expected starting lineup against Australia in the first ODI.