India will face mighty Australians in the first ODI match of the three-match series to kick start their campaign in ICC’s CWC Super League.
Match Timings: Nov 27, 9:10 AM
Team Preview
Two white-ball heavyweights in the world will start three-matches ODI series in Sydney. It will be the first international assignment for Team India since March, while Australia had recently toured England for the white-ball series during the pandemic.
India will miss their best white-ball batsman, Rohit Sharma, due to a hamstring injury, and Mayank Agrawal can take this spot along with Shikhar Dhawan. Mayank Agarwal has proved his worth by scoring more than 400 runs in Indian T20 League 2020. The middle-order will be the same as KL Rahul will fill the 5th spot, and he will also take gloves behind the stumps.
Hardik Pandya cannot bowl, so it will be a worrying sign for Virat Kohli to fix their playing XI. To fill the 5th bowling option, Pandey will be dropped, and Navdeep Saini can make a way at the third seamer alongside Bumrah and Shami. Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav are two other options, but Jadeja can find his place at no. 7 due to his extra batting ability. Jadeja hasn’t impressed with the ball, and if one bowler underperforms, Kohli might face a scar. Chahal will have a big responsibility to provide breakthroughs in middle-overs. India can only lack in middle-overs, and if Australia chases the target, it would be a turning point in the game.
Meanwhile, Australia is likely to play with the same XI they played against England in Manchester. The majority of the Australian players had appeared in Indian T20 League, and they had a good season, especially David Warner and Marcus Stoinis. Finch had a dull season with the bat, but this format suits his playing style. Mitchell Starc has recently participated in the domestic season and had good numbers there.
Australia defeated England in their last ODI series with the late heroics of Alex Carey and Maxwell. Steve Smith suffered an injury in England, but the ODI format is a favourable format for Smith. Marnus Labuschagne has already shown positive intent in middle-order since his debut in January this year. Adam Zampa also had good success against India in middle-overs, and he delivered breakthroughs when the team needed the most. The pace trio Cummins, Starc, and Hazlewood would be a big threat for India with the new ball.
It should be a cracking series between Indian batsmen and Australian bowlers. The current scenario put Australia slightly ahead, but India can also draw first blood in the series. Two sides last faced in India in the three-matches series, and India won the series 2-1 after going down in the first ODI.
Pitch Report
Sydney Cricket Ground is a decent track for the ODIs, and it offers plenty of runs to batsmen. The track gets slow in the middle, but the pacers have more advantages than the spinners. We expect a score between 270 and 280, which should be an imposing total on this surface.
Possible XI
Australia
David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa
India
Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini
Key Players
Australia
David Warner
Indian T20 League 2020 – M: 16, Runs: 548, Avg: 39.14
Adam Zampa
England tour (ODIs) - M: 3, Wickets: 10, Avg: 14.20
India
KL Rahul
Indian T20 League 2020 – M: 14, Runs: 670, Avg: 55.83
Jasprit Bumrah
Indian T20 League 2020 – M: 15, Wickets: 27, Avg: 14.96
