IND v AUS 2020: 'If Virat Kohli doesn't fire, things change a little for Team India' - Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has opined that Virat Kohli could hold the key to India's success in the ODI series against Australia. He made this observation while previewing the encounter between the two sides in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

Aakash Chopra started by suggesting that India should choose to bat first if they win the toss. He highlighted that the Men in Blue may not want to take the pressure of a big run-chase, with Hardik Pandya playing for the national team after a long break.

"If the Indian team wins the toss, I will be looking at batting first. They have Hardik at No.6, who has not played international cricket for a long time. So that is something they may want to keep in mind."

Aakash Chopra added that India should try to post a huge score and then defend that with five specialist bowlers likely to be there in the playing XI.

"They have full five bowlers, with Bumrah and Shami. I will actually be batting first. They should assess the pitch and try to get to 280-300 runs."

The renowned commentator pointed out that Virat Kohli will be the key in the Indian batting lineup, with the Men in Blue's fortunes tied to his success.

"If Kohli has a great day, India will do well. If Kohli doesn't fire, things change a little for Team India."

Aakash Chopra observed that Hardik Pandya will have to play the crucial finisher's role along with KL Rahul if the Indian team does not opt to open with the latter.

"Hardik the batsman will be crucial because if they want a strong finish, they will look towards Hardik. It is possible that he will have KL Rahul along with him, depending on the team selection."

While acknowledging that KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja will form an ideal finishing trio, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Mayank Agarwal is yet to prove himself at the top of the order for the Indian team.

"If we have Rahul, Hardik and Jaddu, it might just be better. But Mayank Agarwal at the top, he has done well in the IPL just now but he did not do that well when he played for India."

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Aakash Chopra's prediction for the first ODI between India and Australia

Aakash Chopra believes Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami lend potency to the Indian attack

Aakash Chopra picked Australia as the slight favourites for the encounter, with them having the advantage of having played as a unit against England in the recent past.

"My prediction for the game, it is 60-40 for Australia. I am just seeing after doing a man-to-man marking. They also played together three months back while we played almost nine months back."

Aakash Chopra observed that the bowling units of the two sides are almost at par, with the Aussies having a pace trio as potent as Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

"The Indian bowling is slightly better but their bowling is also not bad because they can find 10 overs between Marcus Stoinis and Maxwell. They also have good fast bowlers and so do we. If we have Bumrah and Shami, they have Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. It is absolutely even-stevens."

Aakash Chopra signed off by reiterating that Australia have the edge. He expressed hope that India can get off to a winning start, with the first encounter being very crucial in a three-match series.

"The balance is slightly in favour of Australia but I really hope that it turns around and India wins the match because winning the first match in a three-match series is very important as it gives the winner a significant advantage."

The last time the Indian team toured Australia in 2018-19, they bounced back from a reversal in the first ODI to win the three-match series 2-1. They would hope to start on a positive note this time around and put the pressure on Australia for the remainder of the series.