Predicted India XI for the 1st Australia-India ODI

The Indian ODI team will look to start 2016 wellIndia did not have a very good ODI record in 2015. Out of the four ODI series India were part of, India won only one of them, against Zimbabwe. They lost the ODI series against South Africa at home, Bangladesh away and the tri-series against Australia and England in Australia.However, India had a good run in the World Cup as they won all the games they played, except for the semifinals against eventual winners, Australia.India will look to improve on the patchy form in the ODIs they played in 2015, and look to begin 2016 on a winning note by beating the World Champions in their own backyard. With so many new names in the ODI squad, India will wear a new look Down Under as they play five ODIs and three T20Is.Here is the predicted XI for the first ODI between Australia and India in Perth:

#1 Rohit Sharma

Although he has been poor in Test cricket, Rohit Sharma was India's best performer in ODIs in 2015 as he racked up 815 runs at an average of 50.93 and an impressive strike rate of 95.43 in the 17 matches that he played. He scored three centuries and four half-centuries during the last calendar year.

In the 2015 ICC World Cup, Rohit was India's second-highest run getter as he scored 330 runs in 8 games. His 126-ball 137 in the quarterfinals against Bangladesh proved to be a match-winning one as it helped India put up a good total on board.

Rohit's presence at the top of the batting order is crucial for India in the 50-over format as he can go on to make a big score once he gets himself settled in. Having had a successful outing Down Under last time around, the 28-year-old will be hoping that he goes on to make a good start to 2016.