IND vs AUS ODI WC 2023: Venue, where to watch, head-to-head record, probable lineups & more

The opening bat vs ball exchange between Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins will hold the key as to how the rest of the match shapes up.

The time for talk is almost over as India gear up to kickstart their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign against five-time champions Australia at the M.A.Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.

The two teams will meet only a few days after having played a three-match bilateral series on Indian soil which the Men in Blue won 2-1, but Sunday will be a fresh start and past results will matter for very less as both former champions look to get their ODI World Cup campaign off to a winning start.

Venue and pitch report

The M.A.Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is one of India's iconic venues, having played host to numerous classic matches over the years. The pitch at the venue has generally been good for batting and has offered turn to spinners during both innings of the game.

It is likely to be no different on Sunday and it will be interesting to see what combination of bowlers both teams opt for in their playing XIs. India and Australia played an ODI at this venue in March, where the latter beat the former by 21 runs while defending a score of 269.

Injury updates and probable Playing XIs

Ahead of their tournament opener, India were dealt a serious blow after opening batter Shubman Gill suffered a bout of dengue, making him a doubtful starter for Sunday.

Head coach Rahul Dravid said on Friday that Gill was doing better and a decision on his participation in the match would be taken closer to the start of the match. Skipper Rohit Sharma, who came for the press conference on Saturday, also said that the Punjab batter was not just yet ruled out of the match.

For Australia, all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is likely to miss the match after not having recovered fully from his hamstring injury. Leg spinner Adam Zampa also seems to have given Pat Cummins and the team management a late headache after injuring his face during a swimming pool session.

Likely playing XIs: India: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.

Australia: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa.

Players to watch out for

Batters – Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Rohit Sharma, David Warner

All-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja, Glenn Maxwell.

Bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Josh Hazlewood.

Head-to-head-record

India and Australia have faced one another in 12 ODI World Cup matches. The latter has won eight of those matches while the former has won four matches. At the 1987 World Cup, both teams played a Group Stage match at Chennai which Australia won by one run.

Where to watch on TV?

Television viewers can watch the India vs Australia on the Star Sports Network in India.

Where to watch online?

For those watching on other devices like a smart TV, laptops, and smartphones, the ODI World Cup 2023 will be streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar app.

For smartphone users of the app, the matches will be streamed for free while on other devices you will require a subscription for Disney+Hotstar.