Ind vs Aus 1st ODI: India win toss, opt to bat first

In the seven previous bilateral ODI series between the two countries – all of which have been played in India – Australia holds a narrow advantage, with four wins to India’s three, although the latter has won the last two in 2010 and 2013.

“Obviously had the quad injury last year which kept me out for the majority of it and then it was earlier in the pre-season when I had a bit of relapse with it again so I wasn’t really sure if I’d play any cricket this year and fortunately enough it’s worked out pretty well so far”.

But Dhoni played down any desire to play for revenge over the world champions. The teams met in last year’s World Cup, with Australia putting an end to India’s torrid run through the tournament.

WhereW.A.C.A Ground, Perth, Australia. But the men who truly matter know it’s on…

There have been plenty of other run-ins since the 2008 “Monkeygate” affair between Andrew Symonds and Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, with the ferocious competitive spirit of the two cricket powerhouses often fuelling any underlying tensions. Australia, on the other hand, racked up a record 417/6 against Afghanistan on the back of some superb hitting from David Warner, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell. The 50-over match starts at 11:20 a.m. local time (3:20 a.m. GMT/ 8:50 a.m. IST) on January 12, and 10:20 p.m.ET/ 7:20 p.m.PT on Jan 11. One can not forget Sachin’s innings of 131 runs against Australia at Sharjah while chasing a target of 272 runs where he smashed Australian bowlers out of the park and helped India clinch the final of Coca Cola Cup. The rivalry between the sides has already been talked up much, and with a number of youngsters coming into the sides, the series has all the ingredients of a enthralling affair.

Plucked from the Hobart Hurricanes’ top-order into a new-look Australia 50-over side, Bailey said he wanted to bring the same amount of excitement and dynamic strokeplay that he has been exuding in the Big Bash in order to keep the waning format engaging for fans. The right-hander did not find himself with a concrete spot in the top four during the series against South Africa despite being in good form. A question that persists in Indian batting is the position of skipper Dhoni in the line up. More important, they bowled out their opponents. One of the inexperienced pair of Manish Pandey or Gurkeerat Singh is set to be given a chance to stake a claim.

The pitch at the WACA had some cracks, but was expected to aid more pace than spin.

Bailey believes the semifinal win over India in the World Cup a year ago won’t be in the mind of either team’s players.

Immediate concerns are aplenty though, ranging from solving the batting order equation to finding the right balance with the bowling attack. 26-year-old Victorian Scott Boland will also be handed his first ODI cap as Australian named an all-pace attack with Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner filling up the numbers. It was in Australia, before the Cup, that the Indians started to regroup and rally together as a unit, especially their bowling. The left-arm seamer is quick and has a deceptive short ball, a weapon needed to trouble the rival batsmen.