1st ODI: Steve Smith, David Warner Set To Take On Formidable Indian Bowling Line-Up In Series Opener

Steve Smith and David Warner will be duly tested against a formidable Indian bowling line-up in the One-day International (ODI) series opener at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday. While Steve Smith is set to bat at No.3, it will interesting to see what Marnus Labuschagne has to offer in the ODI format, after early success in the Tests. For India, it will be a difficult choice between KL Rahul's consistency and Shikhar Dhawan's experience when they take on a full-strength Australia in the first match of the three-match series.

At a time when bilateral ODI series are fast losing relevance, the three-match rubber between two top teams could give a fresh lease of life to the format.

The high-voltage rivalries that fans enjoy will be back as Rohit Sharma's elegance will be pitted against enforcer David Warner while the Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith duel will resume in earnest.

India's hungry-for-wickets pace attack led by Bumrah, Shami and Navdeep Saini is ready to test the Australians with subtle variations.

On the other hand, IPL's costliest foreign recruit Pat Cummins, the crafty Kane Richardson and the ever-dependable Mitchell Starc will leave no stone unturned to make life uncomfortable for Kohli and his men.

Alex Carey's gutsy batting and faultless glove-work will face the challenge of Rishabh Pant's flair.

For India though, the main cause of concern will be the choice between Dhawan and Rahul. If current form is an indicator, Rahul is miles ahead to partner Rohit Sharma at the top of the order but Dhawan has had a phenomenal record in white ball cricket against Australia.

The Wankhede track is usually a belter and India will certainly not go with two wrist spinners considering the fate they met during the last home series in March, which India lost 2-3.

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami.

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey (wk), Patrick Cummins, Ashton Agar, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

Match starts at 1.30 IST.

(With PTI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Virat Kohli Aaron Finch David Warner India vs Australia 2020 Cricket