Australia bowl first, debutants in against India
Justin Chadwick |
Matt Renshaw and Mitch Owen have been handed their ODI debuts in Australia’s one-day clash with India in Perth.
Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first under overcast conditions in Sunday’s match at Optus Stadium.
Renshaw, who made his Test debut in 2016, has been handed his first ODI cap, while fellow newcomer Owen will be aiming to light up the 50-over game like he has done in T20 cricket.
Josh Philippe is in the XI after first-choice white-ball wicketkeeper Josh Inglis failed to recover in time from a calf strain, while Matthew Kuhnemann was named for his fifth ODI after fellow spinner Adam Zampa stayed home for paternity reasons.
Rain hit the stadium before the start of Sunday’s match, and more showers are forecast for the rest of the day.
“It looks like a pretty good Perth Stadium wicket. Hopefully it’s hard and fast,” Australia captain Mitch Marsh said after winning the toss.
“There’s a little bit of moisture about, so hopefully we can make the most of that today.
“We’ve had three great days of training. It’s always a big build-up Australia versus India, in what’s going to be a huge summer for Australian cricket.
“Hopefully we can get off to a good start.”
India handed a debut to batting allrounder Nitish Reddy.
“I would have bowled first as well,” India captain Shubman Gill told Fox Sports.
“Looking at the weather, it may be a stop and play game.
“But it looks like a pretty good surface, so hopefully we get some runs on the board.”
Star Australia allrounder Cameron Green was ruled out for the three-match series after picking up a side niggle at training this week.
The injury is only minor, with selectors confident Green will be able to feature in two upcoming Sheffield Shield matches before fronting up for the Ashes opener in Perth, starting November 21.
The ODI series is likely to mark the final international appearances in Australia of veteran Indian stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
The duo are retired from Test cricket and T20 internationals, and there’s doubt about whether they will play on until the 2027 ODI World Cup in Africa.
AUSTRALIA: Mitch Marsh (capt), Travis Head, Matt Short, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Matt Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.
INDIA: Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
AAP
