After a hiatus of almost nine months, the Indian national cricket team will be locking horns against a formidable Australia Down Under. In the first ODI of the three-match series, India will be eager to secure a victory, however, this will be their first national assignment in the new normal and things will not just be elusive but may even look impossible for the Indians, considering their last show against the Kiwis.
Australia, on the contrary, has already had an adventure previously when they toured England and despite a fine display, were tamed by the Three Lions. However, they have a fair bit of idea about the new normal and given the fact that this is their home, the pitches will be a lot merrier to them than the Indians.
Here are our fantasy cricket tips for the first match of the series between India and Australia:
Pitch Report:
Sydney Cricket Ground is quite friendly to the batsmen, however, fast bowlers at times, relish a joyride too. The ball will usually bounce a lot and the team batting second may have some more advantage considering the wearing down of the surface.
Predicted XI of both teams
Australia:
Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carry, Mitchel Starc, Hazlewood, Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa
India:
Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Chahal
Top Picks:
David Warner was in sensational form in IPL 2020 where batting seemed like a nightmare with bowling-friendly surfaces and longer boundaries. This is exactly why the Australian opener will be a top-pick for tomorrow’s game.
Marnus Labuschange is touted to be one of the promising aspects of Australian cricket as he has been showing some great command with the bat in the recent days. Given his ability to play pace very well, he will also be a crucial pick for tomorrow’s game.
Virat Kohli will always be a great choice for any day’s game as his dominance with the bat in any soil is simply scintillating and the expressive strokeplay that he has crafted throughout in his previous tours at Australia were nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Jasprit Bumrah is in the thick of things right since the kick-start of IPL. Not only has he bowled some lethal yorkers, but he has regularly bowled at 145 plus clicks that have been downright detrimental to the batsmen.
Captaincy pick: Virat Kohli
Vice-captaincy pick: Steven Smith
Fantasy XI: Marnus Labuschange, KL Rahul (W), Virat Kohli (C), Steven Smith, David Warner Marcus Stoinis, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Jasprit Bumrah
