India vs Australia, ICC ODI World Cup 2023: Chennai Weather Forecast, MA Chidambaram Stadium Pitch Report

With the ICC ODI World Cup returning to India, the Men in Blue, led by Rohit Sharma, are eyeing their second triumph on home soil. The hosts will begin their campaign with a high-voltage clash against five-time champions Australia. The match will be hosted at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8. After MS Dhoni and Co lifted the title in 2011, India could reach the semi-finals of the following two editions. Though they failed to make it to the title clash on both occasions. They were knocked out by eventual champions Australia in 2015 before suffering a loss to New Zealand in the last edition when Virat Kohli was the captain.

Rohit Sharma will be eager to make a strong statement in his maiden World Cup appearance as the Indian captain. He was part of the 2019 campaign and finished as the tournament’s top scorer. In 9 matches, Rohit racked up 648 runs including five centuries and one fifty.

The Indian squad this time features several new faces, with six players set to make their World Cup debut. Shubman Gill, the emerging star of Indian cricket, will be batting alongside Rohit in the opening slots. The 24-year-old, however, might miss the opening game as he is down with dengue. In his absence, KL Rahul can be Rohit’s opening partner, with Virat Kohli following them in the order.

IND vs AUS, Chennai Pitch Report:

The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is known for assisting spinners due to the dry nature of the surface and unpredictable turn. The team batting first on this ground is expected to have the upper hand. The track can become slower in the latter half, making things more difficult for the chasing side. Seamers will need to depend on slower deliveries to achieve success in the death overs. Considering the state of the Chepauk track, we can expect a low-scoring game between India and Australia where spinners will dominate.

IND vs AUS, Chennai Weather Report:

The weather in Chennai is expected to remain partly cloudy on October 8. However, there is no chance of rain affecting India’s World Cup opener against Australia.

The temperature could hover around 27 degrees Celsius to 33 degrees Celsius, while the humidity is anticipated to be around 78-90 percent. The wind speed will be around 16-20 km/h during the 50-over clash.

India vs Australia ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Full Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc