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India are without Shubman Gill
This is not unexpected, with reports the star opener has contracted dengue fever. I’ve had it, also in India, and can confirm it isn’t pleasant.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreya Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kulkeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah,
Australia have won the toss
And captain Pat Cummins has elected to bat. Australia’s team is as expected. In a 15-man squad, with Travis Head unavailable for now and Marcus Stoinis not quite fit enough yet, the team pretty much picked itself.
All-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been listed ahead of wicketkeeper Alex Carey in the batting order, but expect fluidity in that part of the order as the game unfolds.
In batting order: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Sean Abbott (12th).
Australia have a pretty good record at this venue
Five wins from six matches, to be exact, making it their most successful ODI venue in India. India, meanwhile, have seven from 12 but have incredibly passionate fans behind them at the 38,000-capacity ground.
India fans outside the ground.Credit: Greg Baum
Dan Brettig is not, but he is reporting
And he has written about Smith and Labuschagne, who have brought scored prolifically for the Test side but often got in each other’s way in the middle overs of a one-day game:
Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne have joined Glenn Maxwell in abandoning a traditional fixation with making centuries to score runs at the high tempo Australia need from them at this World Cup.
That’s the view of former captain Aaron Finch, who spoke of how the evolution of ODI cricket into a more supercharged format, akin to Twenty20, had compelled seasoned players to move out of their former mindsets.
Read the full story here.
Greg Baum is in Chennai
It’s 33 degrees and sticky in Chennai, but there’s not a cloud to be seen through the haze. Rain will save no-one today. The streets around the Chepauk stadium might be described as functioning chaos, which is to say, business as usual, but with lots of Indian flags.
Literally, there is not an Australian fan or flag to be seen, inside the stadium or out. The Australians say they are well braced for the heat and clamminess and the sold-out crowd in their ears and face.
They will have to be. India is not the inscrutable place it once was for Australian cricketers. They play in and against India too often now for mystery to endure. Some even call it a home away from home. But they will be unmistakeably away today.
In and around Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.Credit: Greg Baum
In and around Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.Credit: Greg Baum
In and around Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.Credit: Greg Baum
Welcome!
Greetings to you, wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever your beliefs about this much-loved game of cricket. The men’s ODI World Cup is already well under way, unless you are from India or Australia. There’s a lot to like about this as a campaign-opener between two powerhouses who have met 12 times in the one-day format since the last World Cup in 2019. The most recent, of course, was only 11 days ago, when Australia won the last of a three-match series by 66 runs in Rajkot. India won that series 2-1, though, and the hosts are possibly warm favourites. So strap yourselves in. First ball is at 7.30pm AEDT.
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