IND vs AUS: India playing XI vs Australia, 1st ODI, 2023 – Predicted

India will face Australia in the first ODI on September 22 in Mohali.

India and Australia will face each other in the final preparations ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Both teams will play three ODIs starting on Friday. Team India are coming off a successful Asia Cup 2023 campaign, while Australia lost their ODI series 2-3 against South Africa.

The series will start with the first ODI game at PCA Stadium in Mohali. Both teams are looking pretty good. India have rested their senior players, and KL Rahul will be leading the team. Australia will come with a full-strength team, with all their seniors coming back. Here we will talk about the predicted playing XI for India in the first game against Australia.

IND vs AUS: India Predicted playing XI vs Australia

1. Shubman Gill:

Shubman Gill is in the form of his life, and he is making it count. The 23-year-old is currently the No. 2 ranked ODI batter and ended the Asia Cup 2023 with the most runs. In the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, he will be the most important wicket at the top of the order for India. If somehow he can perform in three ODIs against Australia, there are chances that he can jump to No. 1 spot in ICC ODI batsmen rankings.

2. Ishan Kishan

Another Indian batter is in good form at the moment. Ishan Kishan will be opening the innings in the absence of Rohit Sharma. He looked good in the Asia Cup 2023 and finished the chase in the final against Sri Lanka. It will be a great chance for the left-hander to prove his skills against a strong team like Australia.

3. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer missed the Super Four and final of the Asia Cup 2023 due to back spasms. But he has recovered and is fully fit for selection. Iyer will bat No. 3 in the absence of Virat, and it will be a great test for him to do well against the Australian attack. He has done well in the past and will look to do the same thing in the coming series.

4. Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma recently made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in the Super Four of the Asia Cup 2023, but he didn't have a good game with the bat and got out after scoring five runs. But he will look to get some runs here and show the world why he is rated so highly. He is good against spin and pace and has faced a quality attack in the IPL.

5. KL Rahul (C) (Wk)

KL Rahul made a tremendous comeback in the Asia Cup 2023, scored a magnificent century against Pakistan, and had some other good starts as well. He will be leading India in the first two games and will look to take the responsibility and do well against Australia. Rahul has the ability to anchor the innings and play as an aggressor as well.

6. Suryakumar Yadav

India have already given a number of chances to Suryakumar Yadav in ODIs, but he hasn't been up to the mark. This series could be his last chance to prove that he belongs in this format. So we can see some good cricket from him, and if he gets set, we all know what he is capable of.

7. Ravindra Jadeja

Superstar all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will be India's vice captain and will be a key player in the absence of Hardik Pandya. He will be the finisher that India will depend on, and his bowling will be more important in the series. Australia have been playing some attacking cricket, and Jadeja will be used to take wickets and restrict batters in the middle overs.

8. Ravi Ashwin

Ravi Ashwin was not included in the ODI World Cup squad, but he has a final chance to prove himself for the squad. These three ODIs will be very important for him, and he will do everything to get into the World Cup squad. So we can expect some special performances from him in the coming series.

9. Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur will be the bowling all-rounder in the team. He played a few games in the Asia Cup and did well. But he will be India's third seamer in the series as Hardik is not available for the first two games. Shardul has been doing a great job. But the real test will be against Australia in the 50-over format.

10. Mohammed Siraj:

Mohammed Siraj recently became the No. 1 ranked ODI bowler, and we all know why. He bowled an exceptional spell in the Asia Cup 2023 final against Sri Lanka and registered his career-best figure of 6/21. He has been India's premier bowler and has done well against Australia. He will be as lethal as anyone in the world right now.

11. Jasprit Bumrah:

India's ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah has made a remarkable comeback from the injury and showed why he was missed by the Indian team. Bumrah will be the biggest threat for Australia. He can knock over Australians and put pressure on them. Bumrah will look to carry on his rhythm in the series to prepare for the coming ODI World Cup.