The cricketing powerhouses India and Australia will square off in Match 5 of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 on Sunday, October 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The hosts defeated Australia 2-1 in an ODI series just before the start of the marquee tournament. The cricket fans will be eager to witness the clash of the giants.
India and Australia have a rich cricketing history of playing against each other in ODI cricket. They have played 149 ODI matches head-to-head, with Australia dominating the rivalry. They have won 83 matches while India has emerged as the winners on 56 occasions. It will be interesting to see who comes victorious in the upcoming clash as both the teams boast of a star-studded squad.
In this article, we take a look at the key player battles for the India vs Australia match of the ICC ODI World Cup.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Key Player Battles for IND vs AUS
KL Rahul vs Adam Zampa
KL Rahul is in tremendous form heading into the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. He had a great series against Australia last month, scoring 136 runs in three matches at an average of 68. He will be keen to continue his good run in India’s opening match of the marquee tournament. However, he will be up against Adam Zampa who has dismissed him four times in the format. KL Rahul has scored 104 runs in 113 deliveries against Zampa at an average of 26.
Steve Smith vs Ravindra Jadeja
Steve Smith will be playing a pivotal role for Australia in the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. He had a good record for the country at World Cups, scoring 834 runs at an average of 46.33, with one century. He will be confident heading into the tournament. Smith will look to take advantage of Ravindra Jadeja as he has a terrific record against the spinner. He has only been dismissed once by Jadeja in 11 matches. Smith has scored 216 runs against the bowler at an average of 216 and a strike rate of 121.4, with 18 boundaries and five sixes.
Rohit Sharma vs Mitchell Starc
Team India skipper Rohit Sharma will be playing his third ODI World Cup for the country. He slammed five centuries in the last edition which took place in 2019 in England. He ended up as the leading run-scorer in the edition. The right-handed batter will be hoping to replicate his performance in the ongoing tournament. However, he has to be wary of Mitchell Starc in the upcoming match. While he has scored 146 runs against the pacer at a strike rate of 105.8, he has also been dismissed thrice in ODIs by Starc. It will be interesting to see who emerges as the winner in this contest.
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