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It will be a blockbuster opener for the host India as they take on five-time champions Australia in the ongoing ICC Men’s World Cup 2023. The Indian team won the ODI World Cup back in 1983 and 2011. After that, they clinched the 2013 Champions Trophy in England, and since then they have not sealed any ICC trophies. Australia, on the other hand, are the five-time World Cup winner, having grabbed the trophy in the 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015 tournaments.
The first game of any tournament is always going to be important as it sets the tone, especially when you are the host and one of the favourites to win the tournament. Straightaway, as the host, if you do not win the first one, it kind of starts putting a little bit of pressure. Since the game is against Australia, which is one of the best sides in the world and also a favourite to win this mega event, it is not going to be easy for India. I am assuming there must be a lot of nervous energy in the camp after watching the other team’s preparations and also since they missed out on playing warm-up games due to inclement weather. They just cannot wait to get it started. Once it starts, it’s alright.
One of the news that is coming out from the Indian camp is the illness of star batter Shubman Gill. As of now, it’s not confirmed whether he has been ruled out or not but if he is it will be a huge setback for the Men in Blue. I personally think this is one of those tournaments that is going to be Shubman Gill’s. If he misses the first few games, it will not be good for him. It is uncertain as to how much time it would take for Gill to recover as citing his current form, it’s a huge blow for the management.
The Indian team is well settled but a couple of questions would arise if Shubman Gill fails to prove his fitness. Who will take his place? I think Ishan Kishan is in the race to replace him and will then open. In the middle order, it would be Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. The fact is that in most of the venues, be it northern India or central India, this is kind of a start of the season, so it might not turn a lot in these venues but in the southern part of India, predominantly Chennai, the season has already started and as a result, the pitch is not fresh as they are in other parts of the country. So we might see the pitch offering some turn. I think it’s important that the Indian team should pick the correct combinations accordingly. Keeping that in mind, I will not be surprised if India goes with three spinners with the likes of Ashwin, Kuldeep, and Jadeja. You obviously have three seamers in the form of Siraj, Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya.
Looking at the setup of both the teams, obviously, they are formidable sides. They tick most of the boxes right as far as I reckon. The only thing that I would like to see India do is play without fear. You can understand the pressure of playing at home, and all the expectations — not just of the fans but also of yourself.
I think if you see the other teams, they play with a lot of freedom as they see 50 over format as an extension of 20, India needs to see that as well. We have the depth, we have the potential in our batting to produce some heroic performances. Australia on the other hand also has depth in their batting order so they have the luxury comparatively to other teams. Since they have a deep batting order, they will not have to compromise on their bowling order. You have Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc who can bat as well. So this is the advantage Australia has over the other countries.
Deep Dasgupta India’s predicted XI vs Australia: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill/Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin/Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Md Siraj.
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