India have been asked to bowl first against Australia in the opening ODI of the three-match series here at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday.
Following the toss, Indian captain Virat Kohli said had he won the toss, he would have opted to bat first. However, he is confident of doing either.
'We are always looking to improve things as a side. We need to bowl well as a unit. As a batting unit, the middle overs are key to try and build a score of 350-370," Kohli said.
Australian captain Aaron Finch, on the other hand, said the middle overs are key for the hosts to improve their campaign, adding: "Just playing spin well and keeping wickets in hand at the end to load up."
The pitch looks good as it is dry with a tinge of green grass but has some bare patches as well.
The hosts have named spinners Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell, leaving out Adam Zampa. Meanwhile, pacer Peter Siddle will be returning after an eight-year absence from the format.
India have opted for spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, while Ambati Rayudu will be in the middle with Dinesh Karthik.
Following are the playing XI for both the sides:
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey (wk), Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle, Jason Behrendorff.
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