IND vs AUS 1st Match Prediction

IND vs AUS Team Previews

India

India had an excellent outing in the recent Asia Cup edition as they won the title for a record-extending 8th time. While they have rested some of their senior players, this series gives them a good chance to see the form of some other players before they finalize the squad for the World Cup.

The team will be led by KL Rahul who scored a brilliant century on his ODI return against Pakistan. He will have the support of Shubhman Gill at the top of the order, while Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, and Suryakumar Yadav will feature in the middle order.

Hardik Pandya has been rested for the first two matches and Ravichandran Ashwin makes a comeback in the ODI squad after almost 19 months to take his place. India has also called in Washington Sundar as an all-rounder who may be replacing Axar Patel if the latter fails to get fit in time.

The seam attack is more or less unchanged as India will be fielding its front-line attack consisting of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami, while Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna are the two other options. 

We expect India to play some of the bowlers that did not play in the Asia Cup to give them some game time and to also give their leading pacers some rest. This Indian team is not weak but it must be remebered that a second string Indian team lost to the West Indies and also to Bangladesh in the recent Asia Cup. 

The odds being offered by the bookmakers do not reflect the inherrent risk that you would assume by backing a second-string Indian lineup. 

Australia

After a disappointing end to its South Africa tour, Australia will look to get back to form before the start of the World Cup.

After a spate of injuries that has debilitated the team over the past few months, most of the squad members have recovered and will begin their preparations. David Warner is likely to be joined by Mitchell Marsh, who will open the batting in the absence of Travis Head, whose World Cup participation is in jeopardy after fracturing his hand.

Steve Smith will likely come in at number 3, with Marnus Labuschagne following him. Australia has some quality all-rounders in the form of Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green, while Ashton Agar has recovered and makes a comeback.

However, the biggest positive for Australia will be the return of its seamers, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. They will be joined by Nathan Ellis and Josh Hazlewood, while Tanvir Sangha and Adam Zampa will feature in the spin attack. 

This series is an excellent opportunity for Australia to test out its World Cup squad in Indian conditions. We have seen Australia play a very aggressive brand of cricket in the last few months and that should continue in this series as well. 

The problems against spin are obvious and that is something that could trip them up but overall, the squad that Australia is playing is much closer to first-choice than what India is putting ouit for the first two matches.