Updated: 18 September 2023
IND vs AUS 2023: KL Rahul To Lead In First Two Matches, As BCCI Announces 15-Member Squad. India and Australia will lock horns for a three-match mini ODI series in India ahead of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 to prepare well against each other and determine their best Playing XI for the World Cup. Notably, India and Australia will commence their World Cup campaign against each other on 8 October at the M Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (popularly known as the Chepauk Stadium).
The Indian cricket team has witnessed a great comeback by their star players and has left a strong impact on international cricket as they lifted the title of the continental tournament, the Asia Cup, 2023 by defeating Sri Lanka in the final match by 10 wickets. India has seen quick recoveries that have been proven great signs for the squad, like the comeback of their key players, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah.
Recently, the Australian team was involved in the tour to South Africa for a 3 T20I and 5 ODI match series. While winning the former, Australia miserably lost the last 3 ODI matches against South Africa by huge margins of over a hundred runs each, making them win the series in their home ground.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2023: Winner, Runner-up, Man Of The Tournament And Complete List Of Award Winners
Australia has also been a camp of multiple injuries as their six key players were going on and off with injuries, until recently when Travis Head was ruled out for the initial few matches of the World Cup 2023 and Australia’s tour of India.
Australia’s tour of India also comprises five T20I matches which will be played after the conclusion of the ICC ODI World Cup. The T20 matches will be played before the next session of the ICC Men’s T-20 World Cup 2024 which is expected to be conducted in June and will be hosted in a hybrid model by the USA and West Indies.
Here is the schedule for Australia’s tour of India for the ODI Matches :
1st ODI, 22 September – Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
2nd ODI, 24 September – Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore
3rd ODI, 27 September – Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot
India’s Squad against Australia for the first two matches :
KL Rahul (c), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, R Ashwin, and Washington Sundar
India’s Squad against Australia for the third ODI match :
Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya, (Vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel*, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj
Also Read: ODI World Cup 2023: Warm-up Games Schedule, Venues, India Matches And Squad
The BCCI has rested experienced players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav from the first two matches of this series to give them a break. KL Rahul will lead the team for the first two ODIs under his valuable guidance in Mohali and Indore, while Ravichandran Ashwin has made a comeback to the ODI team after almost a year.
Australia’s Squad against India:
Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa