India's predicted playing XI for the 1st ODI against Australia

Team India will commence the final leg of their preparations for the World Cup 2023 when they take on Australia in a three-match ODI series, with the opening game all set to take place in Mohali on Friday.

The Men in Blue have rested Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav for the first two matches. KL Rahul will lead the side in the absence of the regular captain and vice-captain.

Head coach Rahul Dravid addressed the media ahead of the first ODI, giving a few insights into India's approach for the series. Despite that, though, there are quite a few combinations on the table for the hosts to try out.

India's squad for the first two ODIs against Australia: KL Rahul (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.

Here is India's predicted playing XI for the first ODI against Australia.

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Openers: Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan

Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan could open the batting for Team India

Shubman Gill, who has been in excellent form lately, is bound to open the batting.

Ishan Kishan, who has hit a purple patch at the top of the order, has alternated between opening and batting in the middle order lately. India are likely to pick the left-hander at the top since they have a couple of batters who need game time in the middle order.

Ruturaj Gaikwad is an option, but Kishan should be the frontrunner for now.

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Middle Order: Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (c & wk), Suryakumar Yadav

KL Rahul has been at his dominant best in the middle order since his return

Dravid did state that the team management wants to field players in the roles they will be expected to play at the World Cup, and that would mean Shreyas Iyer at No. 4. Without Kohli, though, it's only reasonable to expect Shreyas to move up one spot, especially since he needs to spend as much time as possible in the middle.

KL Rahul will lead the side in the first two ODIs, having made an excellent comeback from a thigh injury he sustained during the Indian Premier League (IPL). He is also likely to don the gloves, although India can hand over those duties to Ishan Kishan if they want to reduce the workload on their stand-in skipper.

Dravid has emphasized that Suryakumar Yadav will be backed to the hilt and will be given chances in the first two ODIs. The batter could come in at either No. 5 or No. 6 depending upon the match situation, thereby consigning Tilak Varma to the bench.

There is a slight chance that India could opt to lengthen their batting by fielding Tilak alongside Suryakumar, but they have other names to try out and might not have that luxury.

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All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar

Ravindra Jadeja is India's vice-captain for the first two ODIs

Ravindra Jadeja needs to sort out his batting form, and that will be one of India's biggest missions in the ODI series against Australia. The southpaw could be promoted in the order to give him a little leeway.

Washington Sundar, who played the Asia Cup final after being called up as cover for Axar Patel, is bound to feature in Mohali. The off-spinner stands a real chance of being picked in India's World Cup squad if Axar doesn't recover from his quadriceps injury.

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Bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami

Jasprit Bumrah will likely be rotated over the course of the ODI series

India have spoken about giving Ravichandran Ashwin a run against Australia, so they could field the veteran off-spinner alongside his younger teammate even if the matchups don't require it. Ashwin's comeback will be watched closely, with him having played just two ODIs in the last six years.

The Men in Blue will also rotate their fast bowlers. Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah can be expected to play a game or two each in the series, with Shardul Thakur in the picture as well.

Siraj could be the one to miss out on the opening ODI in the aftermath of his long spell in the Asia Cup final. Bumrah, Shami and Thakur could thus be the fast bowlers employed in Mohali.