Match Preview – India vs Australia, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023/24, 5th Match

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“The 50-over World Cup is the biggest sporting event in cricket history. So, for me, this is the biggest event I will be a part of.”

You can also share this sentiment expressed Rohit Sharma on Saturday, but you may not have seen much evidence yet, as have many others. Even after four matches, we have not seen anything like a house full in this World Cup.

This will change in Chennai on Sunday. You will know that the World Cup is going on, The air will be buzzing with anticipation, but there will also be a bit of anxiety, as this is India’s first match in a home World Cup in which they start as favourites. It’s hard to imagine the amount of pressure a team can go through in these conditions, and it will be a relief for India’s players when the umpire calls “play”, and there is a ball to focus on, or a There is a batsman and a set of stumps. other side.

It will be a tough test right from the start, as they are playing Australia, and is there such a thing as a chance of facing Australia in the Cricket World Cup in the game? This Australian team is not the Australian team of 1999, 2003 or 2007, and they are not a perfect team either, lacking depth most of all in the spin department, but you would be surprised if they did not reach the semi-finals at least. India will not have to face very strong opponents in this tournament. They are not being given any relaxation in this.

The spin at Chepauk is expected to be extremely impressive, and India are better equipped in this regard on paper, but they will only have to go till marchWhen they lost to Australia at the same venue, knowing that it wouldn’t always translate into results.

The newly renovated Chepauk has a series of frescoes commemorating various historical moments. One thing is particularly interesting, and unusual in a country that generally only celebrates its own achievements: Pakistan’s victorious team was given a standing ovation while taking the victory lap at Chepauk in 1999. This is a crowd that is known to appreciate good cricket, no matter who plays it, so they are guaranteed a good time on Sunday, as long as the rain stays away.

form guide

India LWWWL (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Australia wlllll

In the spotlight – Hardik Pandya and Glenn Maxwell

Returned after getting rest from the ODI series against Australia hardik pandya Perhaps the most important member of India’s line-up. Apart from everything he brings to the table with the bat, he is a genuine third seamer in white-ball cricket, his presence allows India to choose an additional seamer or spinner as per the circumstances. Most of their team-building concerns over the past few months have revolved around finding ways to field six bowlers without compromising batting depth; Hardik is the person who makes this possible.

Picking a team with only one frontline spinner is a risk for Indian conditions, but for Australia it is slightly less of a risk because Glen Maxwell Has transformed himself into a true all-rounder in ODIs. This is a relatively new development – ​​he averaged 130.66 with the ball in 61 ODIs in the 2016-20 period, but since then he has taken wickets at an average of 28.53 – and Australia will be happy to see his improvement this World Cup. Has happened with the cycle. They may have to bowl full 10 overs on a Chennai pitch where turn is expected.

team news

Shubman Gill are recovering from dengue and are a questionable starter, If he is not available, Ishan Kishan is likely to open with Rohit. India will have a choice between Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav in their middle-order and R Ashwin and Shardul Thakur at No. 8. Considering the recent history of Chepauk and the dry, black soil pitch prepared for this game, it is likely that they will go with a third spinner in the form of Ashwin.

India (probable XI): 1 Rohit Sharma (captain), 2 Shubman Gill/Ishan Kishan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer/Suryakumar Yadav, 5 KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Mohammed Siraj

Marcus Stoinis is in a race against time He has recovered from a hamstring injury, which means Cameron Green is likely to take over as the main seam-bowling all-rounder. Alex Carey is set to take over the keeping gloves ahead of Josh Inglis.

Australia (probable XI): 1 David Warner, 2 Mitchell Marsh, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (c), 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Adam Zampa

pitch and conditions

The straw-coloured, black-soil pitch may tempt India to play three spinners. Chepauk sees a fair competition between bat and ball: scores in the last eight first innings in ODIs here have ranged from 227 to 299, with the team batting first winning six times.

The weather is likely to be humid and the maximum temperature is expected to be 33 degrees Celsius. North-east monsoon may bring scattered rain in the evening.

Statistics and General Knowledge

  • MA Chidambaram Stadium has hosted seven World Cup games. Australia have played three of these matches and won each time: they beat India by one run in a group-stage thriller and beat Zimbabwe by 96 runs here in 1987; Then, in the quarter-finals of the 1996 edition, they chased down 287 to defeat New Zealand.
  • Apart from the defeat to Australia in 1987, India has played one other World Cup match in Chepauk. They had defeated West Indies by 80 runs here while winning the title in 2011.
  • India and Australia have faced each other 12 times in ODIs since the end of the 2019 World Cup and have won six games each.

Citation

“You have heard the great man say many times that you know, until he wins the World Cup, some of his work will remain incomplete. I am sure you know what I am talking about. So it’s the same for us too. You want to win the World Cup, it’s the biggest award in your career. But again, there’s a way to do it. There’s a process you have to follow. There’s a process to it. is (…) It’s good to be frustrated. It’s good to be hungry. But you have to find that balance, right? (…) You can’t get too ahead of yourself because that could lead to something that You really don’t want to.”
captain of india Rohit Sharma He made a Sachin Tendulkar (or Lionel Messi) reference to highlight what this World Cup means for his team

“I think the most exciting thing about the World Cup is that it’s a campaign. It feels like you’re out there with 14 other people and you’re just trying to make the next few months as special as we can.” Are on a trip.” yes. That’s why I like it. There is no forward planning and you are no longer trying to manage different formats. We are here for the World Cup and everyone’s focus is on that. So, I have really enjoyed it and the boys have also enjoyed it so far it has been great and yes, this is my third World Cup and first as captain. They’re all really special.”
captain of australia pat cummins

Karthik Krishnaswamy is assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

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