Battle Down Under: India Takes on Australia in Thrilling 1st ODI Clash

Battle Down Under: India Takes on Australia in Thrilling 1st ODI Clash: After a 2-1 victory at the Border-Gavaskar trophy tournament, India is all set to face Australia at the 1st ODI match today, 17th of march, 2023. The next time they have a face-off would be at the highly anticipated World Test Championship final in June 2023. 

Both the teams have lined up their best players with the likes of Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, and Virat Kohli from India’s side and Australia bringing in their all-rounders like David Warner, Steve Smith among others. 

The location for this fierce face-off is also significant as India has lost the last three ODI matches at the Wankhede stadium since their last win in 2011. It will be a treat to watch whether India will be able to redeem the home-ground victory or will Australia secure another win like in 2020. 

Indian team: While the absence of Rohit Sharma is sure to hurt the performance of team India, we have pivotal players like Kohli and Ishan Kishan to rely on. Jadeja and KL Rahul have been reinstated in the team with the latter being offered to take charge as the keeper-batsman for team India. Rahul’s return has made eyes turn since his past performances have been disappointing. It is an important series for him as well. 
Australian Team: The Australian team has a task at hand: to fit in their top all-rounders in the XI. Going by the trend, it seems obvious that Travis Head and David Warner will be the openers with Steve Smith at number 3 for batting.

Some facts about the star players of both teams:

• Only 191 more runs are needed for Virat Kohli to reach 13,000 in One Day Internationals.
• Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have secured eight centuries against Australia in ODI matches. 
• In Steve Smith’s 139 ODI matches career, he has scored 12 centuries while David Warner is a notch ahead with 19 centuries in his bag.

Details Of The Match:

Time: March 17, 2023, at 1.30 PM

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Weather Forecast: Even though the RMC predicts rain and thundershowers throughout the city until Friday, March 17, the sky seems clear as of now and the weather is ideal for the match. The temperature is also expected to drop from 33 degrees celsius later in the day.

Also Read: IND vs AUS 1st ODI Dream11 Prediction, Fantasy Team, Playing11, Pitch Report, Where to Watch Australia tour of India 2023?