IND vs AUS: Actor Rajinikanth attends first ODI at Wankhede Stadium

Superstar Rajnikanth marked his presence at the Wankhede Stadium to watch the first ODI of the three-match series between India and Australia. The actor was spotted alongside Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) chief Amol Kale, who invited him to watch the match live.

Ahead of his arrival, Amol revealed that it will be a great honour for the association as the 72-year-old will be present at the iconic stadium after a long time. 

“I had invited legendary actor Rajnikant ji, and he has accepted our request. It will be a great honour for us as he will be coming to Wankhede Stadium after long time,” MCA president Amol Kale was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA)@MumbaiCricAssoc

Thalaiva in the house 😎 The President of Mumbai Cricket Association, Mr. @Amolkk1976 in conversation with the Superstar @rajinikanth during the #INDvAUS game at the Wankhede 🫶 #MCA #Mumbai #Cricket #IndianCricket #Wankhede #BCCI

01:40 PM · Mar 17, 2023

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Unfit David Warner unavailable for first ODI

Even though it was expected that David Warner will play the first ODI, stand-in skipper Steve Smith revealed that the opener is yet to recover completely from his elbow injury. Notably, the southpaw was struck on the elbow in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and was unavailable for the final two matches of the series.

Now, in his absence, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was sent to open the innings along with Travis Head. Notably, Smith also informed that stumper-batter Alex Carey had to leave for home as the cricketer is currently sick. On the other hand, Glenn Maxwell finally made his return to international cricket after being injured for the last few months. The all-rounder broke his leg just after the Big Bash League and was in recovery ever since.

Meanwhile, India won the toss and decided to field first in the first match. As expected, Ishan Kishan got back into the playing XI as designated skipper Rohit Sharma remained unavailable for the first ODI. The team management also kept their faith in Kuldeep Yadav, who has been sensational in white-ball cricket in the last few matches. The series also marks the return of Ravindra Jadeja in ODI cricket as the all-rounder was out of action for quite some time. 

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