The home team India will begin their World Cup 2023 campaign against Australia in a much-awaited contest at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday. Both of these teams recently took on each other in three-match ODI series, with India winning by 2-1.
However, a lot will be at stake when these two will once again take on each other in this high-octane World Cup clash. With West Indies not qualifying for the World Cup, India and Australia are the only two teams, who have been winners of the ODI World Cup on more than one occasion and both of these teams have a chance to add more to their tally.
Both of these teams are a force to reckon with and will enter the World Cup as red-hot favorites. India has been in stellar form, winning the Asia Cup and six out of their last eight ODI matches.
The hosts have got their main players in form with the likes of Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, all playing at the top of their game.
India will aim to make the most of their own conditions and they have got all the experience in their squad. However, they would want to be fearless in crunch situations of big matches, something which they have lacked in the major ICC events.
On the other hand, Australia have a lot of all-rounders in Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis and all of them will hold the key for the five-time champions.
Match Prediction: It is expected to be a close contest between these two heavyweights but India might have a slight edge against Australia.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
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