India entered into the 2019 ICC World Cup as one of the favourites to lift the trophy, and in the first match, they played like one. Their win against South Africa had the stamp of authority, as is expected from a strong contender. Jasprit Bumrah has shaped his career as one of the best fast bowlers in the world and unarguably, India's best. He rattled the South African batsmen with pace and bounce, and maintained a good line and length. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar gave him the able support in pace department, and Yuzvendra Chahal took full advantage of South Africa's inability to play spin the leggie ran through the line-up with ease.
Rohit Sharma scored an unbeaten century to guide India home, and his form will be crucial for India in this World Cup. Shikhar Dhawan has an excellent record in the ICC tournaments, and India will expect him to perform after failure against South Africa. Virat Kohli will look to maintain his excellent against Australia, a match which will test India's batting line up and show where it stands at the early stage of the tournament.
Australia have won both their matches so far. While their match against Afghanistan was a one sided affair, their comeback against West Indies after being 38-4 showed the 'never say die' attitude that has given them five World Cups. Steve Smith's form will further bolster their already powerful batting line-up, and Nathan Coulter-Nile's heroics with the bat down the order will give them the confidence of going berserk early in their innings. Mitchell Starc with his five wickets haul once again showed why he is always a threat for the opposition.
In their most recent meeting, Australia won 3-2 in the ODI series against India, that too in the latter's home ground.
India vs Australia is expected to be a cracker of a game, and going by the recent records, the match will go down to the wire. The team that can hold their nerves and seize the crucial moments will come out victorious.
Probable XI
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja/Shaun Marsh, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), KL Rahul, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav/Ravindra Jadeja/Mohammad Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
Betting odds: According to oddschecker, India 4/5, Australia 11/10
