India vs Australia ICC ODI World Cup 2023: 5 player battles to watch out for

On Sunday, the battle between R Ashwin and Steve Smith could resume again, albeit in ODIs, and could form the most important phase of the innings.

The time for talk is almost over. Hosts India will kickstart their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign against Australia at the M.A.Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.

This will be the 13th ODI World Cup fixture between these two teams. Australia lead the head-to-head 8-4 and beat India in a league stage match that was held at this venue in the 1987 World Cup.

There are several players in both sides who could play a defining role in their side emerging victorious on Sunday. Here are five key player battles to look forward to:

Mohammed Siraj vs David Warner

This promises to setup the innings in the initial phases of the match. Siraj has emerged as one of the most improved bowlers across formats in the last two years and since 2022, has taken 32 wickets in the Powerplay overs at an average of 15.88.

Facing him at the other end would be Warner, who has had his fair share of trouble while facing the new ball especially when bowlers have come around the wicket. But the southpaw also has the ability to use the swing and find gaps through the offside and get Australia off to a quick start and set the tone for the rest of the innings.

Adam Zampa vs Hardik Pandya

Winning the key moments during the middle overs will be crucial and at the heart of that battle could be the faceoff between Zampa and Pandya. The leg-spinner is one of the most reformed slow bowlers in the world and has shown that he can be effective bowling to both right-handers and left-handers.

At the other end, however, will be a batter who perhaps possesses the best game awareness among all batters in the Indian line-up. Like he showed while rescuing the side from a precarious position against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, Pandya can rotate strike and use the long handle to good effect and crucially, understands when to defend and when to attack.

Mitchell Starc vs Virat Kohli

Right through his career, many keen observers of the game have found that there are two versions of Starc the bowler- one who is devastating and can knock the stuffing out of the opposition and the other who can leak runs at will and drift the game away from Australia.

On Sunday, Pat Cummins and co. will hope that when Starc bowls at Kohli, the former version appears when he's bowling to the India number three. This version of Kohli may not be the player from 2016 when he could do no wrong, but in the last 12 months if there is a constant with him, it is that on a big occasion he has risen up and delivered.

The T20 World Cup match against Pakistan in 2022, the Test match against Australia at Ahmedabad and in the Super 4 Asia Cup game against Pakistan, in each of those three instances Kohli played a central role in ensuring the Men in Blue came out on the right side of the result. Rohit Sharma and co. will hope for another Kohli masterclass against Australia on Sunday.

Rohit Sharma vs Pat Cummins

The battle of the captains will be one to watch out for Sunday. If India are to get early impetus in their innings, Sharma will need to lead from the front and go after the bowling. During the third ODI at Rajkot in September, his 57-ball 81 saw a vintage version of the batter come out and take on the opposition. The knock was filled with several trademark pull shots, that went over the fence for six.

Up against Cummins, Sharma will need to be wary of the moving ball, especially the one that leaves him and ensure he does not give his wicket away playing a loose shot outside the off stump.

Ravichandran Ashwin vs Steve Smith

For a long time, Steve Smith remained the most difficult batter to dismiss in world cricket. Then in 2020, R Ashwin saw as many videos of Smith's batting as he could and devised a plan for the tour to Australia. The execution was near perfect as Ashwin dismissed Smith thrice in three Tests in Australia.

On Sunday, the battle between the two modern greats could resume again, albeit in ODIs, and could form the most important phase of the innings. A victory for either Ashwin or Smith could go a long way in ensuring their respective sides won the match.