India vs Australia 2019: What changes can we expect from both teams for 1st ODI
After a hard-fought T20I series between India and Australia, the visitors stood tall and won the series 2-0. Now, it's time for the ODI series. The fact that the 2019 World Cup is only a few months away makes this series very important for the Men in Blue.
Before the World Cup, this is the last ODI series for the Indian team. Skipper Virat Kohli would want to make sure that his team has checked all the boxes before heading into the flagship tournament.
KL Rahul has shown that he is now back in form with two back to back impressive performances in the T20I series. With another decent round of performance in the ODI series, he just might seal his World Cup place.
Rishabh Pant disappointed in the T20I series but in the absence of Dinesh Karthik in the ODI squad, he has a chance to impress the selectors before the World Cup. He would definitely want to make it count.
The 1st ODI of the series will be played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on March 2. Till now, India has played 5 ODIs at this stadium. The Men in Blue have won two and lost three matches. India would like to improve their record at Hyderabad.
The Indian team gave chances to KL Rahul by resting Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan in each of the two T20I teams. This series was an indication that he might get more chances in the ODI series. Mohammed Shami is set to come back to the playing XI in place of Siddarth Kaul. Kuldeep Yadav will also return to the XI.
India's Predicted Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal
The Australian team, on the other hand, will be very high on confidence after winning the T20I series. Glenn Maxwell is back in form which would be a very big plus for Australia. The Australian team will also be looking to find the right balance before the World Cup.
The Australian team has till now played 2 ODIs against India at Hyderabad and has won both the matches.
Australia's Predicted Playing XI: Aaron Finch (c), D'Arcy Short, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Handscomb (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jhye Richardson and Adam Zampa