In the fifth match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the two-time World Cup winner, India will take on the five-time world champions, Australia tomorrow, October 8, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai at 2 PM IST.
The biggest cricket event of the year has arrived, and the first few games have already generated a lot of discussion. Now, this fixture will be the epicentre of focus. The Australians would like to increase their lead to six world titles this time around, while the hosts will be going for their third crown.
While Shubman Gill‘s inclusion is quite unlikely, Ishan Kishan can get a nod to open with the skipper, Rohit Sharma. Experienced Virat Kohli will be raring to go in his fourth World Cup. A few weeks ago, the hosts defeated the Aussies 2-1 in a series played here in India, giving them a psychological edge going into this clash of giants. Suryakumar Yadav‘s back-to-back half-centuries and Shreyas Iyer‘s well-deserved century after a protracted injury absence were two massive benefits the series delivered for India. With the pace attack as well, which includes Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami, India can hammer down the opponents straightaway in the few overs upfront, while the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav can also deceive the batters in the middle overs.
Meanwhile, the Australians are generally a force to be deemed with at World Cup competitions, but despite being one of the favourites to win the title, they seem to be missing the customary panache that fans have become acclimated to witnessing. Australia avoided a series whitewash with a win in the final ODI a few days back against India, but their records have been ordinary at best in recent years.
Nonetheless, the five-time winners have a habit of producing great performances when they are most needed. The likes of David Warner, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and others could light up the MA Chidambaram stadium, boosting confidence for the remainder of the campaign. The Australians have a complete package that includes batters who are capable of remaining on the crease for too long, hard hitters like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, and Mitchell Marsh, and bowlers like Josh Hazelwood, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins who can take wickets at any time during the game.
Head-to-Head:
A total of 149 ODI matches have been held between India and Australia. Australia have prevailed in 83 of them, while the Men in Blue have won 56 games. Moreover, 10 games also ended without any conclusion. In the ICC World Cup events, the mighty Aussies have won eight matches, while India just managed to win four.
Where to watch:
TV: Star Sports
OTT: Disney+ Hotstar