New Delhi. After registering a record fourth consecutive series win over Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rohit Sharma’s team India is now gearing up for the ODI series. Two-time world champion Australia will play a 3-match ODI series against India from 17 March. Pat Cummins has returned to Australia due to family reasons. In such a situation, Steve Smith will also captain the ODI series. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma will also not participate in the first match of the series due to personal reasons. In such a situation, Hardik Pandya will captain the first ODI. However, Rohit Sharma will return as captain in the second and third ODIs.

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This Will be the First time for Hardik Pandya

This will be the first time for Hardik Pandya, when he will captain an ODI match. However, Hardik Pandya has already captained 11 T20 International matches. Out of these, India has won 8 matches. Apart from this, Hardik Pandya is also the captain of Gujarat Titans in IPL, who won the title last year.

But both ODI and T20 forms are also different and the captaincy is also going to be different. In such a situation, it is not going to be very easy for Hardik Pandya. It is also difficult because Hardik Pandya is being seen as the next captain of India after Rohit Sharma. In such a situation, after T20, he will also have to prove his leadership quality in ODIs.

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Australia’s ODI Team is Strong

Australia’s white-ball specialists Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Sean Abbott, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Josh Inglis and Ashton Agar trained in Ahmedabad last week for the ODI series against India. Hardik Pandya has so far captained against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Ireland and West Indies. All these teams have been weak in comparison to Australia’s ODI team, but now it is going to be a difficult task for Pandya to start with a win against the Australian team adorned with veterans.

Shreyas Iyer’s Replacement Not Announced

According to many reports, Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer will not be able to play the entire ODI series against Australia. Iyer had to be ruled out due to repeated back injuries on Monday during the Ahmedabad Test. Middle-order batsman Iyer may also be ruled out of the opening matches of IPL 2023 due to a back injury. Although Iyer’s replacement has not been announced yet, but according to some reports, in Iyer’s absence, Madhya Pradesh batsman Rajat Patidar may feature in the three-match ODI series against Australia.

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Difference of just 2 Ratings in ICC Rankings Between India and Australia

In the ICC ODI rankings, the Indian cricket team continues to hold the number one position with 114 rating points. At the same time, Australia is in second place with 112 rating points. The result of this series can change the ranking. To remain in the first place in the rankings, it is necessary for India to win the ODI series against Australia.

India had to Face Defeat in the Last Series

The last ODI series between India and Australia was played on Australian soil only. In this series, the Indian team had to face defeat by 1-2. If we talk about the head to head record in the ODI series between India and Australia, then 143 matches have been played between the two teams so far. Of these, Australia has won 80 and India has won 53 matches. At the same time, no result of 10 matches has come out. India has won 29 out of 64 matches at home, while Australia has won 38 matches at home. Australia has won 30 matches in India, but India can win only 14 matches in Australia.

Full Schedule of India vs Australia ODI Series:

First match – March 17, Friday, Mumbai (1.30 pm)
Second match – March 19, Sunday, Visakhapatnam (1.30 pm)
Third match – March 22, Wednesday, Chennai (1.30 pm)

How to Watch India vs Australia ODI Series in India?

All the matches of the ODI series to be held between Australia and host India will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Live streaming of India vs Australia ODI matches will be available on Disney+Hotstar.