IND vs AUS, 1st ODI- Top Captain and Vice-captain Picks 

image-lmt7eh00David Warner and Steve Smith will be two key player for Australia in the series against India (Source: Twitter)

After the Asia Cup triumph, India will be squaring off against Australia for a three-match ODI series in the lead up to the 2023 Cricket World Cup. The first ODI between both teams will be played at the PCA Stadium, Mohali, slated to begin at 1:30 PM IST.

The Men in Blue are without four of their first-choice cricketers, namely- Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav. In the absence of the usual skipper, KL Rahul will be leading the side for the first couple of ODIs with Ravindra Jadeja as the deputy. The squad also features two off-spinning all-rounders- Ravichandran Ashwin and Washington Sundar, who will be in contention to fill the void left by Axar Patel's injury. However, the third ODI will be featuring India's World Cup 2023 squad plus Ashwin and Sundar. 

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On the flip side, Australia are arriving on the back of an impressive outing against South Africa in their own soil. Mitch Marsh led the side in the absence of numerous high-octane cricketers. But the good news is that most of them are returning back to the contingent. The Australian squad welcomes the presence of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc and skipper Pat Cummins. The latter is all set to return in the first ODI however he confirmed that Starc and Maxwell won't show up tomorrow  but certainly will play later in the series. Ashton Agar and Travis Head are going to miss the upcoming bilateral series. The former, due to a recursive injury and birth of child while the latter is likely to go under the knife.


IND vs AUS, 1st ODI- Venue Analysis

The PCA Stadium have aided the fast bowlers in recent times. The bowlers get a bit of movement and extract good bounce off the surface. The venue has also seen some high scores being piled up. However, chasing a target hasn't been always easy here.


IND vs AUS, 1st ODI- Toss Factor

Toss is going to be a crucial factor in the venue. Hopefully, there should not be much dew and the toss winning skipper may chose to bat first. We shall quickly have a look at the possible scenarios.

Scenario: If India wins the toss

If the hosts win the toss, they may chose to bat first and try to score good runs on the board. Its a fresh pitch and the ball should come well onto the willow. In that case, players like Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, and David Warner can be good option for captain or vice-captain. 

Scenario: If Australia wins the toss

If Pat Cummins gets the coin to fall in his favour, he may look to bat first and make the most of the new ball under the lights. If that's the case, players like Mitch Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, and Jasprit Bumrah are going to be key in these conditions.


IND vs AUS, 1st ODI- Top Captain and Vice-captain Picks

If IND bats first

Shubman Gill

The 24-year-old batter has been in good touch with the blade in hand. Gill scored a brilliant ton under pressure against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup recently. The young gun was also the highest run-getter for India in the recently concluded Asian Championship. The form is with him and being a bloke from Punjab, Gill is well aware of the conditions of the venue. So, he is one of the best choices for captain or vice-captain.

Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan loves the ball to come onto his bat. He is a flamboyant cricketer and has an array of shots in his book. Kishan recorded an innings of 75 earlier at the same venue and averages 38.33 here in the IPL. He may open the batting or may bat at no. 5, thereby getting adequate number of balls to score big runs.


If AUS bats first 

David Warner

'The reverend'  is a run-machine when it comes to bat in Indian conditions. His numbers in the particular venue is also astounding. Warner has smashed 231 runs in four innings of IPL at this venue.  Although the stats belong to a different format, it does not shy away from displaying Warner's dominance in this ground. The southpaw also notched up a brilliant century against South Africa in the second ODI when Australia garnered 392 runs in 50 overs.

Marnus Labuschagne

The 29-year-old was in scintillating form during the start of the ODI series against South Africa. He also scored a century in the second ODI. As he is not a part of the World Cup squad, Marnus has a lot to prove. With time in hand for the amendmeds to the squad, Marnus could be a few more good knocks away from making it to the mega-event.


IND vs AUS, 1st ODI- Big Risk, Big Return Choice 

Ravichandran Ashwin

The wily off-spinner last played a 50-over game against South Africa in Paarl in January, 2022. There should be no doubt on the capabilities of one of the greatest spinners of India and why he can an asset to the side. Ashwin always brings an additional headache to the Aussie batters. Moreover, he will be blazing all guns out to make a statement with both ball and the bat.