World Cup 2023, Match 5 | India Predicted XI vs Australia

image-lngdtmhoIndia will take on Australia in the fifth match of the World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

From an array of ten nations, eight of them will already have an experience of the tournament opener by the time India and Australia face off in match 5 of the ongoing 2023 World Cup. The M. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai is prepared to stage this coveted clash between bitter rivals turned friends and the game is slated to begin at 2:00 PM IST.

The Indian contingent suffered a huge blow as Shubman Gill was caught up with dengue fever and it may take some time for him to get fully fit.  He was an integral part  of the Asia Cup 2023 that the Rohit Sharma-led unit clinched after five years of drought.  Both their warm-up fixtures against England and Netherlands got abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled.

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On the other hand, Australia faced South Africa and India before the warm-up fixtures of World Cup. The ODI series in the land of Africa ended up as 3-2 while they lost the series against India 2-1. Amidst both the series, the side had incurred five successive losses but luckily bounced back at the right time. In their warm-up game against Pakistan, the Pat Cummins-led unit managed to emerge on the top with a win. 

Both sides have a rich history in the World Cup stages and it will be interesting to see how things pan out this time. So, let us have a quick glance through the predicted XI of Australia against India.


Openers: Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma

India received a big jolt ahead of their first match in the World Cup when Shubman Gill was diagnosed with dengue fever. Although coach Rahul Dravid stated that they're positive about his chances for the opening game, it's likely that the Punjab-born be rested.

In his absence, Ishan Kishan may feature at the top of the order with captain Rohit Sharma. Kishan earlier scored a double-hundred in ODIs, opening the batting but was set for a role in the middle over slot. In this crisis period, he could be pushed up the order along with the Hitman.

This could well turn out to be a blessing in disguise. India lacked a left-handed batter at the top four and the move also offers them left and right hand opening combination.


Middle-Overs: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul

The no. 3 position is booked for the G.O.A.T- Virat Kohli and he is the best suitable candidate at that slot for the Men in Blue. KL Rahul did a spectacular job in the middle order post rehabilitation, notching a century against Pakistan and also finished games against Australia.

The wicketkeeper-batter is likely to pair with Shreyas Iyer to act in the middle order. The latter was off the team for quite a time and missed the latest edition of Indian Premier League too due to a persistent back issue. But the Mumbaikar made a strong comeback smashing a ton against the mighty Aussies in the recent three-match ODI series.


All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin

Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja are an integral part of this unit and will constitute the lower-middle order. It was learned that Hardik got a minor thud in his finger the day before yesterday but there's nothing much to worry about it. Jadeja will be a vital cog in the Indian conditions with his left-arm orthodox spin and control. However there's a dilemma concerning his batting form, the Jamnagar-based cricketer is a match-winner on his day.

Indian management has a tough toss-up between Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammad Shami. Since the game is going to be staged in Chennai, Ashwin should be one of the top contenders to make the cut. He showed his art of spin against the same opposition in the recently played 3rd ODI and adds an additional worry to the Australian think tank. Henceforth, the ace-spinner could feature against this particular unit in India's opener.


Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj

The Indian think-tank is likely to go with Bumrah and Siraj as their pace duo. The tag team troubled Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final and the Men in Blue are likely to stay with the same combination. Joining them with the spin option would be Kuldeep Yadav who is riding on an incredible international calendar year. The left-arm wrist spinner is among the top two highest wicket-takers in ODIs in this particular year.

India Predicted XI vs Australia

Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj.