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India-Australia ODI series: Focus on World Cup preparation begins

Pandya will captain Indian team in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma
India-Australia ODI series: Focus on World Cup preparation begins
India-Australia ODI series: Focus on World Cup preparation begins

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ ITDC NEWS : Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya's leadership skills and India's overall World Cup preparedness will be under focus when the home side begins their three-match ODI series against Australia here on Friday.

Pandya will captain the Indian team in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who is unavailable for the first ODI at the Wankhede Stadium due to family commitments.

The day-night match will be Pandya's first as captain in an ODI, though he is the regular India skipper in the T20 format. He is also the designated vice-captain for the ODI series.

Collectively as a team, the focus will shift from winning the four-match Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and qualifying for the World Test Championships final in June against the same opponents - Australia - to starting preparations for the 50-over World Cup the country is hosting later this year.

Keeping in mind that India had won the title the last time the country hosted the tournament - with MS Dhoni's team winning the trophy in 2011 - similar expectations will be from Sharma and the company.

The expectations will be particularly high because the Indian team is a different beast in any format while playing at home. Moreover, the unwanted record of not doing well enough in the knockout matches of the ICC hounding this group of players, the team will be desperate to turn things around.

India will also look to make the most of the incredible start they have had in ODIs at home this year, winning all six matches in total -- against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in two separate series.

With 567 runs and three centuries in just six ODIs, and averaging 113.40, Shubman Gill has made a cracking start to the World Cup year and Sharma's absence in the first match will put more limelight on the right-handed batter, who is coming off a quality Test century against Australia in the fourth and final match in Ahmedabad.

Batting maestro Virat Kohli had left the lean patch in white-ball cricket far behind, and his 338 runs in six matches at 67.60 indicate that the run machine can be expected to add more to the 75 centuries that he has accumulated in international cricket so far.

Kohli's battle with Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa is one of the match-ups to watch out for, with the bowler having had considerable success against the star India batter.

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal bowled in tandem in the nets during an optional training session on Wednesday here, and the two leg-spinners can form a vital weapon in India's attack given their knack of taking wickets and past record of domination in white-ball cricket.

With 11 wickets in five matches, Kuldeep has so far been India's best spinner, while among fast bowlers, Mohammed Siraj is far ahead with 14 scalps in as many outings.

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