India vs Australia 2017: India's predicted playing XI for the 1st ODI

After the drubbing handed to Sri Lanka in the Test and ODI series, the focus moves towards Australia’s tour to India. The 5 match ODI series is set to begin on September 17 at the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The hosts are riding high on confidence after their tour to the Island nation and will be looking to continue their winning streak against a weakened Australian line-up. On the other hand, Steve Smith’s side is coming off a 1-1 series draw against Bangladesh and will be looking to register their first ODI series win in India since 2009.

However, they will have their task cut out as Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Aaron Finch are all sidelined due to their injuries.

The Men in Blue go in with a full strength squad apart from Shikhar Dhawan who will be absent for the first three ODIs.

Let’s take a look at India’s predicted XI for the first ODI.

Openers

Rohit Sharma:

After missing out on action for six months from November 2016 to April 2017, Rohit Sharma made a return to the Indian side just before the ICC Champions Trophy.

He has put in a few noteworthy performances for the Men in Blue since then. He scored a century against Bangladesh in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy and followed that up with consecutive centuries against Sri Lanka in the 5-0 whitewash.

With Shikhar Dhawan absent for the first three ODIs, he will have some added pressure and will look to give India the much-needed start in the first ODI.

KL Rahul

Dhawan’s absence might have come as a blessing in disguise for the 25 year old Karnataka lad. Currently struggling for form in the shorter format of the game, KL Rahul will look to put the Sri Lanka series behind him and start afresh against the Aussies.

There is a possibility that Ajinkya Rahane might open instead of Rahul but given the latter’s performance in limited overs (barring the Sri Lanka series), he would be the preferred option.

While Rahul is on a 7 innings streak of half centuries in Tests, he failed to register a single half century against Sri Lanka. He will look to turn things around against the Kangaroos.

Middle order:

Virat Kohli

The captain has been in the form of his life over the past couple of years and has been scoring centuries for fun. He scored consecutive centuries against Sri Lanka and followed that up with an 82 run knock in the final ODI.

He has a spectacular record against Australia and has always performed well against them, both home and away. He has scored 5 centuries against the Kangaroos in ODIs and will look to increase that number this time around.

He will relish the challenge which is going to come his way, this time as captain as well.

Manish Pandey

The 28 year old from Karnataka would have felt extremely hard done by the fact that he had to miss the ICC Champions Trophy due to an injury.

Even after making his comeback last month, he was given limited opportunities but he made use of those and gave the selectors a lot to think about with his performances against Sri Lanka.

He will always be remembered for the breathtaking ODI century against Australia in 2016 where India won the only match of the series down under. He will look to continue performing well against the weakened OZ bowling line-up and cement his place in the side.

MS Dhoni

Ever since Dhoni stepped down from captaincy, his place in the side is being questioned by many. However, with his performance in every series since the beginning of the year, the former Indian captain is shutting his critics up.

He had an exceptional outing against Sri Lanka as he was not dismissed even once throughout the series. He scored one half century and remained not-out in the forties twice including the 49 he scored in his 300th ODI.

His wicket-keeping skills are arguably the best in the world and it will take some time before someone comes up to his level behind the stumps.

Kedar Jadhav

He might have made his debut for the Indian cricket team really late but it looks like the Men in Blue have unearthed a gem in the form of Kedar Jadhav.

On one hand, he has the ability to play a composed innings and guide the side with a steady knock. On the other hand, he also has the ability to decimate the opposition bowling attack and play an aggressive knock as well.

Apart from his batting skills, he has been extremely handy with the ball as well and is known to break partnerships and pick up wickets at regular intervals.

All-rounders:

Hardik Pandya

Ever since making his debut in 2016, Hardik Pandya has been one of the best all-rounders in the game. He has the ability to take the game away from the opposition on his given day, both with the bat and the ball.

He has had a stellar 2017 so far and has put in a few noteworthy performances for the Men in Blue. His valiant performance against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final will not be forgotten for a long time.

He has opened the bowling on a number of occasions as well and we could see him do the same against the Kangaroos too. On the other hand, he will continue to assume the role of a finisher with the bat.

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja was a last minute addition to the ODI squad for the first three matches as Axar Patel was forced to sit out due to an injury he picked up.

Jadeja was rested for the ODI series against Sri Lanka and was initially not picked for the ODIs against Australia as well as Axar had performed exceptionally well.

However, now that he is back in the side, he will look to make the most of it and cement his place in the limited overs format once again.

He is also handy with the bat lower down the order and knock a few big blows as well.

Bowlers:

Jasprit Bumrah

Ever since making his debut for the Men in Blue in 2016, Jasprit Bumrah has come a long way. He is currently one of the best death bowlers in the game and his toe crushing yorkers are a nightmare for opposition batsmen.

Apart from his yorkers, he bowls with a good line and length as well and picks up wickets at regular intervals.

He picked up 15 wickets in the series against Sri Lanka, which is a record haul by a pace bowler in a bilateral ODI series featuring five matches. He will look to continue his form against the Australians as well.

Yuzvendra Chahal

India have experimented with a lot of spinners over the past couple of years. However, it looks like Yuzi Chahal is the one who has struck a chord with the selectors with his performances over the past year or so.

He has the knack of giving away a lot of runs at times but compensates that by picking up important wickets just when it's needed.

The Kangaroos have never dealt well with spin and we can expect Chahal to have a good time with the ball against the opposition batsmen. He could find himself in a fight with Kuldeep Yadav for a spot in the side over the rest of the series.

Mohammad Shami

One of the most talented bowlers in the Indian set up currently, Mohammad Shami has missed out on a lot of action over the past year or so due to constant injuries.

He was rested for the Sri Lankan tour and will be raring to go against the Kangaroos. He has the ability to bowl extremely quick and produce a lot of swing as well, something which not a lot of Indian bowlers have had in the past.

He will look to give the Indian side the much-needed start with the ball throughout the series and more importantly, keep himself fit for the future as well.