Predicting 3 players who could take the most wickets in India vs Australia series

Team India and Australia will begin their final leg of preparations with a three-match ODI series, starting in Mohali on Friday. Both teams will look to test their combinations before the much-awaited ICC ODI World Cup.

The visitors will see a few players return from respective injuries in the series. Thus, they will hope to give them maximum game time to help them get back into rhythm. All eyes will be on the likes of Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, and Steve Smith.

For India, it will be a good opportunity for the veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has played just two ODIs in the last six years, to stake a claim in the side. The absence of senior players in the first two games will give Suryakumar Yadav a perfect opportunity to ignite his ODI career, which has been nothing short of a failure as of now.

The conditions are expected to be flat throughout the series and the batters are likely to have a feast. The bowlers, on the other hand, will have to grind hard to fool the batters. But both sides have quality bowlers on their roasters who can turn the games on their heads on any given day.

On that note, let's take a look at three bowlers who could pick up the most wickets in the upcoming series.

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#1 Ravichandran Ashwin

While this name might come as a surprise, expect Ravichandran Ashwin to wreak havoc in the upcoming three games. Although he hasn't played many ODIs since 2017, Ashwin is a tough nut to crack in these conditions.

The Tamil Nadu-born cricketer has played plenty of domestic games on flat wickets, which will keep him ready for the upcoming challenge. He has plenty of experience, having picked up 151 wickets from 113 games at an economy rate of 4.94.

With an ODI World Cup berth up for grabs, there will be no lack of motivation for Ashwin. If he finds his rhythm early, expect the senior off-spinner to trouble the Aussie batters.

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#2 Adam Zampa

The leg-spinner will be Australia's trump card in the series against India and the World Cup that follows. Adam Zampa is well aware of the conditions, having played 14 matches in India and picking up 24 wickets.

While the New South Wales cricketer is coming off a rough series against South Africa, Zampa will be pumped up to bounce back.

The 31-year-old has been among the wickets in 2023, scalping 12 wickets in seven games.

Zampa has also enjoyed decent success against India with 31 wickets in 19 games and will look to add to his tally today.

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#3 Jasprit Bumrah

The senior fast bowler will play his first game on home soil after a long time. Jasprit Bumrah made a return to competitive cricket after 11 months during the T20I series against Ireland before playing in the Asia Cup 2023.

Bumrah has looked in decent rhythm, bowling well in different phases of the game. He has picked up eight wickets in six matches since his return and will be raring to go all guns blazing in front of his home crowd.

The right-arm pacer holds the key for India in the series against Australia and the ensuing World Cup. Thus, all eyes will be on Bumrah and if he gets going, expect him to be amongst the wickets.