India will have Australia for a three-coordinate ODI series with the principal match to be played at the Wankhede Arena in Mumbai on Friday, Walk 17. Australia, which recently lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2023 by a score of 2-1, will want to end the tour on a high by winning the series.
In spite of the fact that India won the past ODI series between these two countries back in 2020, the guests have extraordinary recollections from the Wankhede Arena. In their final ODI at the venue, the Aussies defeated the hosts by 10 wickets thanks to hundreds from openers Aaron Finch and David Warner.
Due to personal reasons, India will also be without captain Rohit Sharma for the Wankhede match, and Hardik Pandya will play his first ODI as captain. The hosts will without a doubt be aware that not all of their matches will be favorable to them.
In light of this, let’s examine three such matchups that have the potential to determine the outcome of the game:
#3 Mohammed Siraj vs David Warner
Mohammed Siraj has earned the No. 1 bowler ranking due to his outstanding ODI performances over the past year. He has dismissed Warner twice in Tests, but not yet in one-day internationals.
In the Delhi Test of BGT 2023, Siraj posed a significant threat to Warner, who was struck in the elbow and helmet. The blows left such an effect that Warner must be subbed because of a blackout and furthermore turned out to be governed out of the excess Test series.
In any case, the unbelievable Australian opener will likewise realize that he crushed 100 at a similar scene the last time he played against India here, and that could give him some certainty. In this matchup, Siraj will be steaming in with the new ball, so it will be interesting to see who prevails.
#2 Mitchell Starc vs Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill has been in great form recently, and it will be hard for the Australians to stop the Indian opener. Another factor in Gill’s favor is that he has dominated Mitchell Starc in Test matches, despite having already smashed hundreds across formats this year.
Gill demonstrated that he was unaffected by the left-arm pacer’s reputation by scoring 130 runs in 140 balls, the most against Starc without being dismissed once in Tests, whether it was in Ahmedabad last week or the Gabba a few years ago.
However, ODI cricket is arguably Starc’s preferred format, and if he can swing that new ball into Gill, he may pose a significant threat to the opener. This could be an interesting battle given that they are likely to fight hard.
#1 Virat Kohli vs Adam Zampa
Given the duo’s success in white-ball cricket, this had to be the most important player battle from the first ODI. In the past six months, Virat Kohli has scored a hundred runs across all formats and is enjoying a return to vintage form.
Australia will be alarmed by this, but they will be aware that leg-spinner Adam Zampa is an effective weapon. In one-day internationals, Zampa has bowled Kohli five times while also allowing him to score 214 runs off 193 deliveries.
This statistic suggests that both teams will want to win the first One-Day International, making it an intriguing contest to watch.