Aus vs India 2020: First ODI Stats Preview and Playing 11 Prediction

Aus vs India 2020: Rohit Sharma, the major absentee as we look the stats preview and playing 11 prediction for the first ODI. 

After the successful completion of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the group of 30+ Indian cricketers have flown to Australia for their first Bilateral series since March 2020. The ODI series would kickstart the 53-day long tour, which would be followed by 3 T20Is and 4 Test matches.

The first ODI games would be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, while the final encounter would take place at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. But, history says Team India haven’t had the bests of the outing at Sydney having won just 2 ODIs from 17 matches they have played here. With the full-fledged Aussie side in the opposite camp, the things are going to be even more difficult for the visitors. Add to it the absence of their star opener, Rohit Sharma.

Nevertheless, it would be interesting to see how Team India copes up to this challenge, and can Virat Kohli inspire the team to a winning start. Before that, let’s have a look at the stats preview, and probable playing 11 for both the teams for the first ODI. 

Match Details:

Occasion	First ODI, Australia vs India
Location	Sydney
Date & Time	November 27, 9:10 am IST

Stats Preview || Australia vs India ODIs in Australia

Overall ODIs Played: 51

India: 13 Wins || Australia: 36 Wins || NR: 2

ODIs at Sydney:

India: P: 17 || W: 2 || L: 14 || NR: 1 

Australia: P: 132 || W: 87 || L: 39 || NR: 6

India vs Australia ODI Batting Stats in Australia:  

990 – Most Runs by Rohit Sharma (India)

66.7 – Best Batting Average (Min 7 inns) by Steve Smith (Aus)

128.3 – Highest Strike Rate (Min 7 inns) by Glenn Maxwell (Aus) 

171* (163) – Highest Score by Rohit Sharma (India)

4 – Most Hundreds by Rohit Sharma (India)

5 – Most Fifties by Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, David Boon, and Sunil Gavaskar. 

74 – Most Fours by Rohit Sharma (India)

29 – Most Sixes by Rohit Sharma (India)

India vs Australia ODI Bowling Stats in Australia:  

33 – Most Wickets by Brett Lee (Aus)

19.5 – Best Bowling Average (Min 7 inns) by Brett Lee (Aus)

2.9 – Best Economy Rate (Min 7 inns) by Simon Davis (Aus) 

26 – Best Bowling Strike Rate by Ishant Sharma (India)

6/42 – Best Bowling figures by Yuzvendra Chahal (India) and Ajit Agarkar (India)

4 – Most 5-wicket haul by Brett Lee (Aus)

30 – Most Maidens by Kapil Dev (India)

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ALSO READ: India vs Aus: Complete List of ODI Records – Rohit Sharma the Star

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Team India’s ODI squad for the Tour of Australia:

Virat Kohli (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (VC &WK), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini, Sanju Samson (WK), Shardul Thakur, and Kuldeep Yadav.

Probable Playing XI – Team India

Openers: Shikhar Dhawan || Mayank Agarwal

Rohit Sharma’s absenteeism means that Shikhar Dhawan will have to do with a new partner in the ODIs. Shikhar has himself been in fine form in IPL, and he will be hoping to replicate his T20 form in the 50-over format. Having been part of the previous tours to Australia, Shikhar’s contribution will be vital for Team India.

The second opener’s position will be up for grabs in the upcoming series. Both Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill will audition for the role, although we opine that Mayank will play the first encounter. The Bengaluru-lad has been in good touch and did well in the Test games held in Australia a few years ago. Mayank’s performance in the ODIs would also aid his confidence going into the four-day games.

Middle-order: Virat Kohli (C) || Shreyas Iyer || KL Rahul (VC & WK)

The middle-order of the Indian ODI team would wear a similar look in this tournament. When Indian toured New Zealand last year, Shreyas Iyer was given to enact the No.4 role. He did well, and hence, he would keep his place. Above and below him would be two men Team India will be counting heavily on.

While Virat Kohli at No.3 has to come good, the kind of form that KL Rahul is in, the KXIP-skipper would have greater responsibilities. There would be a focus on KL Rahul to finish games, a role he has been recently given in the ODIs. That said, with Rohit’s absence, Team India could as well play KL alongside Shikhar at the top and allow Manish Pandey to take his natural position at No.5.

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya || Ravindra Jadeja

Hardik Pandya’s return from injury means that he will automatically take up his spot at No.6. In terms of roles and dependencies, nothing much would change for Hardik. However, since he has not been bowling, it needs to be seen if Team India would make any modifications to this spot going forward.

At No.7, the management has no choice but to play Ravindra Jadeja. He is the only confirmed all-rounder in the squad and hence, Jaddu comes into the XI. While Jadeja has worked on his batting abilities, he needs to pick wickets in the middle-overs to make an impact. It is also difficult to understand that Team India has not gone with an extra all-rounder, considering Hardik isn’t fit to ball. 

Bowlers: Navdeep Saini || Mohammed Shami || Jasprit Bumrah || Yuzvendra Chahal

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami will as usual don the primary charge of the pace unit for Team India. Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur and Navdeep Saini will fight for the role of the third seamer in the XI. However, as a first-choice XI, Saini is our pick to make it to the final squad. His line and lengths have improved in recent times, and that’s the reason for the inclusion.

Yuzvendra Chahal will be the lead spinner in this department. He has to take wickets in the middle, and since the management cannot drop Jadeja, Yuzi’s position will be under threat from Kuldeep Yadav. Nevertheless, based on recent form, the Indian Team will begin with Yuzi.

Aus vs India 2020 First ODI Playing 11 Prediction for Team India: 

Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (VC & WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Yuzvendra Chahal. 

Aus vs India 2020 First ODI Playing 11 Prediction for Australia: 

Aaron Finch (C), David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (WK), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, and Josh Hazlewood. 

Thanks for reading! What’s your playing 11 prediction for the first ODI between India vs Aus? Please, let us know in the comments below. 

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