Hosts India will lock horns with formidable Australia in the ICC ODI World Cup campaign opener on Sunday.
The Men in Blue have beaten Australia twice in the recently-concluded ODI series in India. However, the hosts will not make the mistake of taking their opponents lightly.
Though all the departments of the Men in Blue look to be settled, the hosts will be forced to tweak their opening combination due to promising batter Shubman Gil’s unavailability most likely. Captain Rohit Sharma has confirmed that the young batter is unwell. However, he has not made any comments on his replacement or India’s playing XI.
Under such circumstances, either Ishan Kishan or KL Rahul will be promoted to open the innings with Rohit. Rahul has played well in the No.4 slot since his return to the Indian team. In that case, Ishan is most likely to open with captain Rohit.
Star batsman Virat Kohli will play in the number three slot. Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are two other batters available in the middle-order slot which makes a formidable batting order for Team India.
The top batting order will be followed by all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, giving the team a much-needed depth both in the batting and bowling departments.
Chepauk is known for assisting the spinners and India are most likely to field three spinners in the all-important game. Ravichandran Ashwin, who was a last minute addition to the 15-member World Cup squad, is likely to get a chance with chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav being the second spinner.
In-form Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will spearhead the bowling attack with assistance from Pandya.
India’s predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.