1st ODI Preview as Australia welcome India in mega summer, though weather could be a factor in the opening ODI.
India provide big lift-off to Australia’s mega summer in 1st ODI.
Rohit and Virat have returned. Will they, however, make 2027? India’s ODI skipper has changed. The nation is talking about Pat’s back, even if he isn’t here. Don’t panic, though, because Australia lost a vital player due to side pain. Selectors are attempting to strike a balance between white-ball outcomes and red-ball preparation. Even though it’s only mid-October, a lot is happening in the start of what might be Australia’s largest cricket season ever.
As the summer season gets underway in Perth, Australia has three main goals in mind: preparing for the upcoming ODI World Cup, preparing for the Ashes, and hoping that no more important players are injured in the coming weeks. They also want to win this series against a formidable India team that defeated them in the Champions Trophy semi-final earlier this year.
Their most recent ODI was the tournament final, in which India emerged victorious. Since then, they have undergone some notable changes. Even though he will probably be controlled during some series, Shubman Gill is their captain in Tests and ODIs, and Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are single-format players. This is an amazing workload in the modern game. Jasprit Bumrah isn’t here for the ODIs, but will arrive for the T20Is.
Australia had planned to have their strongest team, at least for the beginning of this series, but they will be without a number of their first-choice players. Australia is somewhat more familiar with this format, having played South Africa in August. Additionally, they are still attempting to establish a batting lineup in the wake of Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith.
While Cameron Green (side) will miss the entire series and Josh Inglis (calf) will miss at least the first two games, Pat Cummins is the biggest injury watch leading up to the Ashes, and more information on his schedule will soon be available. Due to the travel distances, Adam Zampa, who is expecting his second kid, will not be in Perth, while Alex Carey, who is preparing for the Ashes, will arrive in time for his Adelaide match.
A crowd of up to 50,000 people is anticipated at Optus Stadium, a number that has only been surpassed twice in the venue’s history, and ticket sales for India’s tour have been extremely strong for the three ODIs and five T20Is that follow.