India v Australia, 1st ODI - Match Result Predictions

Whenever India and Australia have combatted in ODIs in India, there has been no shortage of drama, entertainment, and intensity. The last occasion these two met in India was in a bilateral series back in 2013, which finished as one of the most prolific series of all time. This time around, things won’t be too different as two absolute giants of the game will fight for the number one spot in ODI rankings, with the battle commencing in Chennai.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has been in terrific form, who recently completed 30 ODI hundreds equalling the legendary Ricky Ponting. It’d be a perfect icing on the cake if he can get past the former Aussie skipper, with a hundred against an Australian side. A lot of other youngsters on the other side will see this as an opportunity to book a ticket to England for the 2019 World Cup.

Australia on the other side managed to just about finish the Bangladesh tour with a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the Test series. Nevertheless, the side is well capable of dismantling any opposition on any turf when it comes to limited overs, justifying why they are at the helm of the rankings currently. With the rains troubling a lot of people across the country, a heated Indo-Aussie game is just what people would want and definitely, this series seems really promising.

Here is what Crictracker predicts for the game:

Scenario 1: India wins the toss

Toss Prediction: India will choose to bowl first

First innings score prediction: 280-290

Result prediction: India will win the match by 6-7 wickets

Scenario 2: Australia wins the toss

Toss Prediction: Australia will choose to bowl first

First innings score prediction: 290-300

Result prediction: Australia will win the match by 5 wickets

Head to Head record

Overall: Total matches – 123 India won – 41, Australia won – 72, Tied/No Result – 10

Matches in India: Total matches – 51, India won – 21, Australia won – 25, Tied/No Result – 5

Whilst the overall head-to-head record is way too out of reach, India can get into level terms with Australia in terms of games played in India. They can take over Australia in this aspect as well, given they whitewash the Kangaroos. With due respect to the Indian side, that seems highly impossible as this series is going to be a battle of the evens.

Playing Combinations

India

Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane will take up the opening slots with skipper Virat Kohli coming in at three. KL Rahul has the tough job in hand of proving his worth at number 4, which he failed to do in Sri Lanka. With MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya available in the lower middle, India have one of the best finishers line-ups in the world currently.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah will take up the two fast bowling slots. Since Jadeja has been roped in, he might pair up with Kuldeep Yadav in the spin department. All-rounders Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav have been more than decent contributors in recent days.

Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

Australia

David Warner will open the batting alongside the probable debutant Hilton Cartwright. Skipper Steve Smith, Travis Head and Maxwell will follow with Mathew Wade, Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile comprising the lower-middle order.

Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar will have a huge role to play throughout the series as Aussie spinners didn’t fare well the last time they traveled here for a bilateral ODI series. Pat Cummin, Coulter-Nile, and Stoinis will be the fast bowling options, with two handy part-timers available in Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell.

Predicted XI: David Warner, Hilton Cartwright, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Pat Cummins, Ashton Agar

A run fest is definitely on cards at the Chepauk and both sides look equally strong on paper. Ultimately, toss might play a huge role in the game as there has been a lot of rain in recent times in Chennai and due factor will definitely come into play. Bowling second in these batting friendly conditions can be a nightmare and it’d be really surprising if the team batting first wins the game, unless they post something above 370-380.

The prediction says toss will decide the winner and at the same time, the home side will have the 60-40 edge over the visitors.

Do let us know your predictions in the comments section below.