India's predicted playing XI for the 1st ODI vs Australia ft. Harshit Rana & Kuldeep Yadav

India will face off against Australia in a three-match ODI series. The opening encounter of the rubber will take place in Perth on Sunday, October 19.

The Men in Blue have made a few notable changes to their squad, with Shubman Gill taking over as captain from Rohit Sharma. Although Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya won't be in action during the ODI leg of the tour, India are expected to be at close to full strength.

India’s ODI squad for the Australia tour: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal.

On that note, here is India's predicted playing XI for the first ODI against Australia.

Openers: Shubman Gill (c) and Rohit Sharma

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India's opening combination hasn't changed for a few years now, and despite the presence of the talented Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are expected to take first strike. Rohit's form will be watched closely, since he only plays one format for the country these days.

Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy

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The same goes for Virat Kohli, who loves playing in Australia. The superstar batter will want to ensure that he notches up a series of scores on his return from a fairly long break from top-level cricket.

Predicting the rest of India's middle order is a straightforward task. Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Axar Patel pick themselves, while Nitish Kumar Reddy is expected to slot in for the injured Hardik.

There is the possibility of India fielding Washington Sundar in the middle order, either for Axar or for Kuldeep Yadav. However, the off-spinning all-rounder might have to wait for his turn.

Lower Order: Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj

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Kuldeep has been in sensational form lately, and although his presence will dilute batting depth, India can't afford to drop him. The visitors are expected to field three specialist fast bowlers on Perth's pacy and bouncy surface. While Mohammed Siraj is a lock, the other two spots seem likely to fall to Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh.

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Edited by Sai Krishna