(Cricket news) India will be taking on Australia for a 3 match ODI series. The 1st match will be at the new look Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Rohit Sharma will not play the 1st match due to a family commitment but he will return for the 2nd match. Hardik Pandya, who has been captaining in T20Is will lead the side in Rohit’s absence. The series is extremely important especially with the ODI World Cup coming up later this year. Australia will once again be without captain Pat Cummins as Steve Smith will continue to lead the side.

India’s ideal playing XI:

Openers: Ishan Kishan & Shubman Gill

In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan will get an opportunity to open the batting once again. He is likely to keep wickets as well but KL Rahul can also do that job. Shubman Gill at this moment in time is undroppable from any format, especially in the ODIs where he is scoring runs for fun. There is an option of Virat to open if required.

Middle order: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul & Suryakumar Yadav

Virat Kohli is back at his best and he will be very crucial for the team in this series and eventually at the World Cup. The former captain is coming into this game on the back of a Test so he will be high on confidence. Shreyas Iyer who would’ve walked into the side is unavailable because his back injury has returned. That leaves India with no option but to pick KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav.

Rahul has been under immense criticism due to his poor form. He has been removed as the vice captain of the ODI and the Test team. This will be a good opportunity for the Karnataka batter to get back in form. Suryakumar Yadav has been playing at such a high level in T20Is but in ODIs that isn’t the case. He has a golden opportunity in Shreyas Iyer’s absence to make a case for himself.

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya & Ravindra Jadeja

Two of the most premium all-rounders in world cricket will be back in action, playing together after a long time. Pandya will lead the side and will be looking to make an impact straight away. Jadeja was the player of the Test series and he will be looking to continue that form in the ODIs. The two are now at a stage where they are proper all-rounders. Which one of them bowls more overs will depend on the conditions but the best part about them is that they both can bowl 10 overs if needed. 

Seamers: Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami & Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj pick themselves because of their quality and form. The two were rested for 1 Test each presumably to keep them fresh for this series. The choice between Umran Malik and Shardul Thakur is a tough one but the latter may get the nod due his ability with the willow. Also Thakur has the knack of picking wickets whenever needed which is crucial.

Spinner: Kuldeep Yadav 

Kuldeep Yadav has been preferred over Yuzvendra Chahal for the last few series. The chinaman hasn’t done anything wrong to be dropped so he should keep his place. He has the ability to pick up wickets in the middle which will be very important for India. There is an outside chance that India could play Washington Sundar or Axar Patel to increase their batting depth.

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

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