(Cricket news) India and Australia now switch their focus on the ODI series which will be very good preparation for the World Cup coming up later this year. The 1st ODI will be played at the Wankhede Stadium. It is an important series for a couple of Indian players whose place in the World Cup squad is still not guaranteed. Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the series due to his recurring back injury. The BCCI has not named a replacement as of yet which makes India’s batting order very simple to pick.  

India’s ideal playing XI:

Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (C), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohmmad Shami, Mohammed Siraj.

Bench: Axar Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Washington Sundar, Umran Malik, Yuzvendra Chahal

Hardik Pandya will captain the side as Rohit Sharma is unavailable. Ishan Kishan will also get an opportunity to open the batting and keep wickets. The series is very important for KL Rahul to gain some form and keep his place secure. Kuldeep Yadav is once again likely to get the nod ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal based on recent performances. The choice between Shardul Thakur and Umran Malik is a very tough one but the latter should get the nod for his prowess with the willow at number 8. Shardul’s knack of taking wickets and breaking partnerships along with his ability in the death overs also works in his favour.

Australia’s ideal playing XI:

David Warner, Travis Head, Steve Smith(c), Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey(wk), Ashton Agar,  Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

Bench: Sean Abbott,Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Ellis

The availability of the 4 all-rounders is a massive strength of this Australian line-up. Not only does that give Australia 7 bowling options (excluding Travis Head and Steve Smith) it also makes their batting very deep. There is a chance that Australia drops one of Green, Marsh and Stoinis to accommodate a pure seamer but that will be a tough call to make. Skipper Pat Cummins will be a big miss as Steve Smith will continue to lead the side. The spin duo of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar will be very crucial for the Aussies.

Also read: David Warner named Delhi Capitals captain for this IPL season