ODI World Cup 2023: Chennai pays tribute to MS Dhoni with mural for IND vs AUS match

Match 5 of the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 will feature a clash between India and Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on Monday, October 9. As the fever of the World Cup reaches new heights every single day, the hype has reached Chennai ahead of India’s first game of the tournament. As the side looks to get off to a positive start, former skipper MS Dhoni has stolen every headline once again. 

Dhoni’s mural was spotted in Chepauk, Chennai ahead of India’s clash against Australia. Deemed as the poster boy of Chennai, ever since his retirement from international cricket, Dhoni’s popularity seems to have risen even further.

Its IND vs AUS today at Chennai Chepauk at look who still is the poster boy of Chennai the mighty MS Dhoni #INDvsAUS #AUSvsIND#CWC2023 #CWC23 #BCCI #ViratKohli𓃵 #RohitSharma𓃵 #MSDhoni𓃵 #CricketTwitter    #Cricket #India #Australia #Chennai #IndianCricketTeam #WorldCup2023 pic.twitter.com/BKXfvQQaps

— Doc Reviews (@Drviews137) October 8, 2023

When it comes to the Chennai track, the ODI World Cup games are expected to favour the spinners. Hence the same is expected against the all-important clash between India and Australia. While the Men in Yellow will be hoping Glenn Maxwell to come good along with the ace leg spinner Adam Zampa, the hosts will be counting on the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja to make the difference when it matters the most.

Hence, given the rivalry between the two cricket giants and the challenge Team India have in front of them given the good track record of Australians in the ODI World Cups and overall against the Men in Blue. So far both teams have clashed on 139 occasions, whereby, the five-time world champions have tasted victory 83 times compared to the two-time champions' 56. However, given the home conditions, Team India are highly expected to show their good form in the marquee event.

Therefore, the Chennai crowd is expected to show their sheer passion when they back Team India on the field just like they did for their beloved adopted son, MS Dhoni, in the past in the hope that the hosts will begin their ODI World Cup campaign with a win.

Team India defeated Australia in ODI series ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023

Speaking of the current form of Team India against Australia, the home side recently played the visitors in an oDI Series in a bid to prepare for the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. The Men in Blue showed their dominating performances in the first two ODIs of the series while in the last ODI, the visiting side tasted victory but as it was the dead rubber in terms of series result, the Indian side won by the margin of 2-1.

As a result, Team India are riding high on confidence and will be hoping to continue their good form in the marquee event as they are well familiar with the conditions the team will be playing in compared to other opponents. Especially when it comes to Chennai, not only do the playing conditions matter, but Team India also have the advantage of adapting to the heat and humid weather more efficiently than their World Cup opponent Australia in the opener. However, going by past records, the Indian team will have to do something special to break the Chennai jinx as they are yet to end up on the winning side against the Aussies at the venue.