2023 World Cup: Predicting 3 players who could score the most runs in today’s India vs Australia match ft. Rohit Sharma
Team India will get their 2023 World Cup campaign underway against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
Both teams met each other in a three-match ODI series last month. The Men in Blue won the rubber by a 2-1 margin to cap off a good preparation for the World Cup. Australia won the final match against India and then beat Pakistan in the warm-up game to get their rhythm back.
The World Cup has reached only its fifth day but the tournament has already witnessed some high-scoring encounters. Going by the history in Chennai, fans would be treated to another run-fest on Sunday.
Both sides have quality batters in their ranks to make the most of the track. They played against each other at this venue in March earlier this year. Batting first, Australia posted 269 runs before bowling India out for 248, riding on Adam Zampa's four-wicket haul.
The context and the cause are bigger than ever. Players will look to play out of their skins to make an impression as both teams would look to get off to a winning start.
With that, let's take a look at three players who could score the most runs in today's India vs Australia match.
#1 Rohit Sharma
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma will have to shoulder additional responsibilities if in-form batter Shubman Gill fails to recover in time. Gill is currently battling dengue and there is no clear information about his participation on Sunday.
The Men in Blue have relied heavily on their openers and Rohit will have to bat the extra mile to make sure Gill's absence is not felt. The captain has had a good year with the bat, scoring 658 runs in 15 ODI innings at an average of over 50.
However, the right-handed batter doesn't enjoy good success at Chepauk, averaging below 25 from seven innings, with the best score of 36. Rohit will also have to gauge well against Mitchell Starc's in-swingers to produce a big knock.
But given the temperament and the experience along with good memories from the last World Cup, Rohit is primed to be one of the highest run-scorers on Sunday.
#2 Mitchell Marsh
While there is a lot of buzz about David Warner and Steve Smith in the Australian team, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh does the most effective job. Send him to open, at No. 3 or in the middle order, Marsh will gleefully score runs at a brisk pace without making too much noise.
With Warner out due to an injury, Marsh was sent to open when the Aussies visited in March earlier this year. The 31-year-old all-rounder ripped apart India's bowling attack, smashing 194 runs in three matches at an average of 97. He also played a fine 96-run knock in Rajkot last month to help Australia avoid a clean sweep.
Marsh enjoys a stellar record against the Men in Blue averaging close to 80. He will look to bring all his experiences into count to counter Indian bowlers and give his side a solid start.
#3 Virat Kohli
All eyes will be on the show-stopper when Team India take the field on Sunday in Chennai. Virat Kohli knows what it takes to be successful at this level, and ODIs being his forte makes it even more fascinating.
The 2023 ODI World Cup, in all likelihood, would be Kohli's last 50-over mega event. By the time, the next tournament takes place in 2027, Kohli will be 38, and it is very unlikely that he will continue. Thus, he will wish to make this tournament a memorable one for him.
Within touching distance of Sachin Tendulkar's 49 ODI hundreds, Kohli will look to go past the legend in the mega event, and what better opponent than Australia to start the tourney?
The former World No. 1 batter has shown exemplary form this year, scoring 612 runs in 13 ODI innings, including three centuries and two fifties.