India vs Australia, 2020 – 1st ODI: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details

The first ODI of the three-match series between India and Australia will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

This game will commence at 1:30 PM IST (Local) (8:00 AM GMT). The match will be telecasted on DD Sports, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 HD Hindi and live-streamed on Hotstar, Jio Cricket HD.

Preview for Dream11 Fantasy

So, the oddly scheduled three-match ODI series between India and Australia is set to commence on Tuesday at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. The last time these two sides met in the format, India had trumped the Men in Yellow in the World Cup courtesy a stunning century from Shikhar Dhawan. However, the Aussies won the five-match rubber in India prior to the tournament 3-2.

Things have changed a lot since then with David Warner and Steve Smith returning to the fold even as the visitors have brought the world number three Test batsman Marnus Labuschagne with them. After having a breakthrough summer in the Tests recently, Labuschagne is likely to get his ODI debut. But then he will have to bat at four with Steve Smith set to return at three.

For India, the top-order conundrum continues with either KL Rahul or Shikhar Dhawan likely to sit out. The latter may be preferred having scored a century in the previous face-off against Australia. It will also be interesting to see if the wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will finally play together given Australia’s troubled past against the duo.

Weather Report/Condition

When it comes to Mumbai, humidity is at its peak. The sun will be out when the match gets underway even as there is no chance of rain whatsoever. The temperature is expected to hover around 25-28 Degrees Celsius according to AccuWeather.

Pitch Report

The surface at the Wankhede is known to be a batting beauty. Dew will definitely come into play and the ground is known to be the toughest to defend. The team winning the toss will definitely look to bowl first. New ball jags around a bit with a bounce at the venue as well.

Average first innings score: 239 (24 ODIs played at the venue)

Record of the chasing teams: Won – 12; Lost – 12

Injury and Availability News:

Rohit Sharma got hit on his thumb while practising in the nets on Sunday. There is no official word on the extent of the injury but as of now, he looks set to play.

Probable Playing XIs

India

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

Bench – Navdeep Saini, Manish Pandey, Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul.

Australia

David Warner, Aaron Finch (C), Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Peter Handscomb, Alex Carey (WK), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.

Bench – Kane Richardson, Ashton Turner, D’Arcy Short.

Top Picks

Rohit Sharma averages an amazing 61.72 in 37 ODIs (2037 runs) against Australia. He has scored seven centuries as well. Moreover, the average goes up to 66 as he has amassed 990 runs in 17 matches with three tons including a double century (209). Virat Kohli is not behind either. He has scored 1727 runs in 37 ODIs against the Men in Yellow at an average of 53.96 and 8 centuries. Both of them should be your top picks.

Shikhar Dhawan too has a decent record (975 runs in 24 ODIs at 42.39) against the Aussies. Rather he scored a century when the two teams last met in the World Cup in 2019. With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah could prove to be lethal while one of the wrist spinners, either Chahal or Kuldeep (whoever plays) can be effective.

Steve Smith is set to bat at three and he averages 52.15 in 15 ODIs with 678 runs to his name facing India. He can make the difference in earning a lot of Fantasy points. Warner too enjoys batting against the Men in Blue. He has scored 692 runs in 16 ODIs at 46.13 with a couple of centuries.

Cummins’ only five-wicket haul has come against India. He has scalped 19 wickets in 12 matches against them. Having Aaron Finch in the team is also not a bad option. He too averages close to 42 in 26 ODIs against India.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options – Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, David Warner

Vice-Captain Options – Steve Smith, Shikhar Dhawan, Pat Cummins

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Alex Carey

Batters – Steve Smith (VC), David Warner, Virat Kohli (C), Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer

All-Rounders – Ashton Agar, Ravindra Jadeja

Bowlers – Pat Cummins, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Peter Handscomb, Rishabh Pant

Batters – Aaron Finch, David Warner (C), Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan (VC)

All-Rounders – Marnus Labuschagne, Kedar Jadhav

Bowlers – Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Yuzvendra Chahal

Expert Advice

It is extremely tough to pick all the top players due to their high credits. In that case, Starc can be skipped who has played only a solitary ODI in India and is yet to pick up a wicket.

The new ball tends to do a bit at the Wankhede. So it would be wise and safe to not make Rohit or Warner C or VC as they can get out early. Though it is risky it could prove to be a safe move in the end.

Probable Winners

It is tough to predict a winner of this match. Toss will play a crucial role and it might also decide the eventual outcome.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.