What happened the last time India played an ODI against Australia at home?
With days ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup, hosts Team India will square against Australia in a three-match ODI series for the final leg of preparations. The rubber will get underway on Friday, September 22, in Mohali.
India and Australia matches have a history of producing nail-biters, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. However, the Aussies have had the better of their opponents in the 50-over format, winning 82 matches as compared to India's 54.
The last time they met each other in ODIs was earlier this year in India. The visiting side won the three-match affair 2-1 from being 0-1 down.
After losing the first match by five wickets, Australia bounced back by thrashing the Men in Blue by 10 wickets. The final game of the series saw the visitors bat first after winning the toss at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on March 22.
Australia got off to a good start, with Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head adding 68 runs for the first wicket. The middle-order batters got starts but none of them managed to convert it to a big knock as the Aussies were bundled out for 269 runs. Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav picked up three wickets each.
In response, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill got India off to a good start before Virat Kohli capitalized on it with a fine half-century. Hardik Pandya made a valiant effort, playing a 40-run knock, but lacked support from the other. The Men in Blue were eventually skittled out for 248 runs, losing the match by 21 runs.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa scalped four wickets, while left-arm spinner Ashton Agar chipped in with two wickets.
Zampa was named the Player of the Match, while Marsh, who was promoted to open the batting in the absence of David Warner, won the Player of the Series award. The right-handed batter finished as the highest run-scorer with 194 runs at an average of 97.
Ravichandran Ashwin returns as India name squad for Australia ODIs
Senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin made a return as the Men in Blue named two squads for the upcoming ODI series against Australia.
Ashwin's comeback to the 50-over fold just ahead of the ODI World Cup is of great significance. The Tamil Nadu-born spinner, who last played an ODI in January 2022, comes in as the third spinner behind Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.
Wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul will lead the side in the first two games in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma. Rohit will return to lead the team in the final game of the series.
Washington Sundar, who replaced the injured Axar Patel in the Asia Cup final, has also been named for the entire series.
India squads for Australia ODIs:
Squad for first two ODIs: KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, R Ashwin, and Washington Sundar.
Squad for final ODI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel (subject to fitness), R Ashwin, and Washington Sundar.