India vs Australia, 1st ODI: Men in Blue, Aussies set for last dress rehearsal before World Cup; LIVE streaming and more

It’s time for the final dress rehearsal before the 2023 ODI World Cup, as hosts India take on Australia in a three-match ODI series starting on Friday. The Men in Blue are coming fresh off a triumphant Asia Cup campaign in Sri Lanka, where Mohammed Siraj’s six-fer destroyed the hosts in the final in Colombo, only for Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill to complete the 51-run chase in just 6.1 overs. However, this time around, the selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, have decided to rest senior players including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, for the first two ODIs against Australia. That means KL Rahul, who returned to action in the Asia Cup, will lead India in Rohit’s absence. The seniors, that also includes Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav, will however return for the third ODI in Rajkot.

Excitement Levels High 📈

CAN. NOT. WAIT for #INDvAUS to begin ⏳#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/g9GsKird7y

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 21, 2023

The absence of seniors provides the rookies in the team to shine. Tilak Varma finds a place in the side, and so does Ruturaj Gaikwad. The duo are not in India’s squad for the World Cup as of now, but it will provide an opportunity for both to make a statement. Tilak, especially, will look to turn things around, after having endured an ODI debut to forget, getting dismissed for just five runs against Bangladesh. With no Virat Kohli in the side for the first two ODIs, a fully-fit Shreyas Iyer looks set to take the number three batting spot, while Tilak bats at number four. Also read: Full schedule, match details, venues, date and timings of ODI series And with Ishan Kishan likely to open with Shubman Gill, it raises a dilemma of where Gaikwad will bat, should he play at all. Another man in focus will be Suryakumar Yadav. His fortunes in the one day format has not been as smooth as it has been in T20Is, and this would provide him the  perfect opportunity to impress, and a make a case to be in the playing XI for the World Cup. R Ashwin returns It’s not only the fresh faces who will have something to play for, against Australia. Ravichandran Ashwin, who last played an ODI in January 2022, was named in the Indian team, after all-rounder Axar Patel picked up a muscle injury during the Asia Cup. One may argue on the fact regarding Ashwin’s inclusion in the India squad in the final series before a World Cup, but the all-rounder does provide an interesting wicket-taking option when he bowls his off-spin for the Menin Blue. It will be interesting to see how Ashwin approaches his game after being out of the ODI team for more than a year.

Ravi Ashwin in India's White Ball jersey.

Welcome back, Ash! pic.twitter.com/9dHbOuQgkA

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 21, 2023

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Washington Sundar is another player who was not part of the World Cup plan, but features in the squad against Australia. Washington Sundar is set to partner with Ashwin in the spin department, and with Hardik Pandya not playing, India could maybe afford to play three spinners, with Ravindra Jadeja in the side. Coming right off title-winning figures of 6/21 in the Asia Cup, Mohammed Siraj will once again be at the forefront of India’s pace attack. However, for the first ODI, should the team management rest Siraj, then Shardul Thakur could come in, and form a three-man pace attack of himself along with Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah. Problems of their own for Australia Australia, on the other hand, have a few issues of their own. With Travis Head ruled out of the first half of the World Cup with a hand injury, it gives the chance for Marnus Labuschagne to be back in contention for the showpiece event. Australia will miss the services of Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell on Friday, with the duo nursing respective injuries. Skipper Pat Cummins, too, had complained of a wrist injury during the final Ashes Test in July, but he said that he is fine now. “I am feeling pretty good, my wrist is all healed now. I am hoping to play all three games. Starc won’t be playing tomorrow, hope he will be well bowled later in the series, same with Maxwell. We are trying to have a balance between getting a match time to everyone in the middle as we are going to the World Cup in a couple of weeks,” Cummins said at a press conference on Thursday. Steve Smith, too, was out of action with a wrist injury ad the quartet had missed the recent tour of South Africa. “He (Steve Smith) is all good, he will play tomorrow, he has a few hits and his wrist seems 100 per cent fit,” added Cummins. India vs Australia head-to-head Both India and Australia have a storied rivalry as far as head-to-head is concerned. They have played 146 ODIs against each other in total. Australia have won majority of those, winning 82 matches, while India have managed just 54 wins. Ten matches have ended in no-results. India vs Australia first ODI match date The India vs Australia first ODI will be played on Friday, 22 September 2023. India vs Australia first ODI match time The India vs Australia first ODI will start at 1.30 PM IST. The toss will take place at 1 PM IST. India vs Australia first ODI match venue The India vs Australia first ODI will be played at the  Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. India vs Australia first ODI LIVE streaming The India vs Australia first ODI will be broadcast live on Sports18 and the live streaming will be available on JioCinema. You can also follow LIVE updates on Firstpost.com . Squads India: KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar. Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (wk), Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner and Adam Zampa.