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