The blockbuster fixture of the opening week in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup will see the host nation India get their campaign underway when they face Australia at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday morning.
It is somewhat fitting that the two most successful teams in the recent history of this tournament go head-to-head in their opening match, and the fact that these sides are the two most fancied to win this year's tournament adds an extra layer of intrigue to the encounter.
Match preview
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The last time that the ODI World Cup graced the shores of India, Mahendra Singh Dhoni led his side to their second world title, and Rohit Sharma will now be hoping to do likewise a full 12 years later.
India's impressive 228-run victory over world number two Pakistan and going on to win the Asia Cup 2023 has given their fans enough reason to feel that their team is well-prepared for the next six weeks of competition.
The hosts come into this battle of the heavyweights with a psychological advantage, having secured a 2-1 series win over the Baggy Greens here in India just a couple of weeks ago.
That series brought several positives for India, including Suryakumar Yadav registering back-to-back half-centuries and Shreyas Iyer scoring a well-earned ton following a lengthy spell out due to injury.
Everything has lined up for the hosts so far, and not only will they have the advantage of familiar home conditions, but they will also be galvanised by the passionate home support in Chennai.
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Meanwhile, the Aussies are always a force to be reckoned with at Cricket World Cup tournaments, although while they are one of the fancied teams to lift the trophy, they seem to be lacking the usual swagger we have become accustomed to seeing.
Australia managed to avoid a series whitewash with a win in the final ODI here last month, but in general, their T20 and one-day international records over the last couple of years have been average at best.
Before their series loss to India last month, the Baggy Greens faced the South Africans, and despite springing to a two-match lead, the Proteas came storming back in the second half of the series to win 3-2.
As a result, Australia's record in the lead-up to the tournament was in negative territory, with three wins and five losses in the last eight matches before claiming a slender 14-run victory over Pakistan in the final warm-up match.
Nevertheless, the five-time champions have a tendency to pull off big results when they are most needed and will gain some confidence from the fact that they lead the head-to-head standings 8-4 against this opponent at World Cup tournaments.
Team News
India will have to play their first match of the tournament without ace batsman Shubman Gill, who has reportedly tested positive for Dengue, which should see Ishan Kishan open the batting with skipper Sharma.
Axar Patel sustained a muscle tear during the Asia Cup and has been ruled out of the tournament, which has resulted in veteran Ravichandran Ashwin being recalled to the Indian squad.
Rishabh Pant is still in rehabilitation after a car accident and will be out for the foreseeable future.
Pat Cummins made his return to the squad following a spell out through injury, and his side will need his services with the new ball alongside Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Adam Zampa has been the Aussies' best bowler so far this year, and on a pitch that favours spin, we will almost certainly see the leg-spinner get his full allotment of overs in this one.
Ashton Agar will miss the World Cup due to a calf injury, leading to Marnus Labuschagne's recall after being omitted from the final squad.
India squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Australia squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav
We say: India to win
The hosts will be brimming with confidence after their series win over the opponent last month and will have the best part of 50,000 fans at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium behind them. There will be huge pressure on India's top order, but if they can see off the likes of Starc and Cummins with the new ball, we fancy them to go on to win the match.
Devesh Jaganath
