Australia bat first after winning the toss against Board President's XI

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 10: The Australian team poses with the trophy after winning the series 5-0 during game five of the Commonwealth Bank International Series

The touring Australians are batting first after winning the toss against the Board President’s XI in a two-day warm up game at the India Cement Limited Guru Nanak College Ground in Chennai.

The Aussies are led by wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who successfully flipped the toss coin in his favour since the visitors need to bat for as much time as possible in order to get acclimatized to the Indian conditions.

Only 11 of the 17-member Australian team have arrived with the rest six expected to arrive in batches in the coming days.

The first sidegame would be a huge opportunity for the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Usman Khawaja to make an impression.

Tasmanian fast bowler Jackson Bird, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson would all be keyed up to hit the straps. Pattinson has come off a long injury lay-off and last played a Test match in November.

The Board President’s XI side is being led by former India opener Abhinav Mukund, who besides leading by example, would want to impress the selectors with a solid knock at the top order.

Wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel is another one who would be keen to show that he is ready to serve the national team as a gloveman should an opportunity arise.

The match is also significant for someone like Robin Uthappa to remain on the selectors’ radar.

Same applies for quick bowlers Parwinder Awana and Shami Ahmed. Given the spate of injuries to India’s main bowlers, both of them would look to seize the opportunity and come up with a big effort.