For India, it is a question of if and how much does a mosquito bite alter their team combination? If Gill hasn’t recovered fully to play, then Ishan Kishan is no stranger to opening the innings but all this while he has been practicing for middle overs batting. In all likelihood, this seems like the last World Cup for Rohit and Virat, and how keen would they be to start off with aplomb. Today could also mark a World Cup return for the home boy Ravi Ashwin, with the thought of playing three spinners looming large at Chepauk. Lots to mull over in terms of team combinations, we are not too far away from the toss. Stick around….

Australia have lost five out of their last six games leading up to today, but you need to be really bold or really foolish to discount them in a World Cup. Mitchell Starc looked ominous in the warm-up clash against Netherlands, while Smith, Warner and Marnus have been amongst the runs. Glenn Maxwell spun a web against India in that 3rd ODI in Rajkot, so take this Aussie team lightly at your own peril. They claimed a memorable series win against India at Chepauk earlier this year thanks to a superb spell by Adam Zampa, and would be eager to repeat those heroics in the World Cup opener.

12:58 Local Time, 07:28 GMT, 12:58 IST: You can count on the fingertips of one hand better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than watching an India vs Australia World Cup match!! After three days of fairly scattered attendances and one-sided contests, we can say with some conviction that today should be different. Roads in central Chennai will be choker blocked as fans hurry themselves to get to Chepauk nice and early, many probably after paying a fortune for those tickets - all in the hope of seeing a glorious cricket match. Time for the World Cup to truly liven up!

Preview by Kaushik Rangarajan:

The two finalists from the last edition may have cut the ribbon and six others may have all recorded their opening statements but after the initial clanking of the pulleys, it is anticipated that the first gears of the 2023 World Cup will be thrummed into life on Sunday with a blockbuster booking in Chennai. The top-ranked ODI side versus the five-time winners, two teams joined at the hip with the base expectation of winning the whole thing.

Australia are World Cup royalty, having won a title in each of the continents that has hosted this event. Given their pedigree, form leading into these events (1 win in their last 6 ODIs this time) bears little or no practical relevance to their top billing. Through the last decade, India too have started as favourites in each of these ICC events but haven't actually put a title-winning run together. Rohit Sharma will bear the burden of this streak as well as the pressures of winning at home, like how each of the last three World Cup hosts have managed.

If the sense of occasion has somehow escaped India because they've travelled to two diametric ends of the country in the last week without so much as sending a ball down, it will register on Sunday. There is scope for some early tone-setting pyrotechnics during which there is hope that the 50-over format will re-enter the public consciousness amid the celebratory mood of the '100 Golds' achievement at the Asian Games.

Both teams come into the fixture having gently sparred in a three-match series with unrepresentative teams in only somewhat representative conditions. For this real deal, the two first-time World Cup captains will admit the difference between their sides is wafer thin. Rohit may have the better set of spinners, but Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell can prove to be more than a handful. Australia have the left-arm point of difference in Mitchell Starc but it's Siraj and Bumrah that boast the superior PowerPlay potency.

Even minor disturbances to their overall plans would seem in sync. Australia are missing daredevil bat Travis Head while India's rising star Shubman Gill is a doubtful starter. If this on-paper closeness translates on the field, then it could just come down to which team can cope better with the possibility of losing.

When: India vs Australia, October 8, 2023, 14:00 IST

Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

What to expect: A warm afternoon leading into a sultry evening. There is a 10% chance of a slight drizzle around the match start time, which even if it hits, is unlikely to cause any truncation to the game. These two sides played at this very venue six months ago where Australia's 269 -- four short of the average first-innings total here in the last five games -- proved to be a winning score. A black soil pitch has once more been selected for the game and while that is no indication it'll play similar to the last game, spinners are expected to come into the game over the course of the game making batting first a worthy option.

Team Watch:

India

There are only two spots really up for contention. The first of them, the potential void at the top of the order caused by Gill's illness, is expected to be filled by Ishan Kishan. The other is the identity of the No.8, which on evidence of the conditions and the sights from India's practice session should be taken up by local boy Ravichanrdan Ashwin, giving India a 3+3 attack combination with Hardik Pandya operating as the third seamer.

Tactics & Strategy:

Hardik Pandya has dismissed Steve Smith five times in 75 balls bowled at Australia's batting fulcrum in this format. Hardik is likely to operate as a first change bowler in case Smith comes in early or operate through the middle-overs where Smith is expected to do most of his batting.

Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Australia

Australia have a toss-up for the third all-rounder's slot. Cameron Green is the incumbent at No.6 but Marcus Stoinis has made some improvements since he suffered a hamstring niggle and has been hard at work in the nets. Cummins reckoned it's still touch and go for the all-rounder although a call on his selection will be taken closer to the game.

Tactics & Strategy:

Adam Zampa took 4-45 and was the Player of the Match here in Chennai when Australia won a series decider in March. He enjoys a positive head-to-head against several Indian batters. In ODIs, he's dismissed Kohli five times, Rohit, Hardik and Rahul four times each.

Probable XI: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green/Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Did you know?

- Virat Kohli is the only Indian batter in the current squad to have scored an ODI hundred at Chepauk

- Australia have taken just 4 PowerPlay wickets in the last 8 ODIs and not more than 1 in any of those games

- Kuldeep Yadav has taken 39 wickets at an average of 20.03 in the middle-overs (11-40) since 2022

What they said:

"I've said it many a times that it was always a dream to be part of the World Cup team. And then now to be part of the team and then the captain, I don't know how to describe that because it's a big deal for me." - Rohit Sharma on what it feels like to lead India in a ODI World Cup

"I've probably played more white-ball cricket in India than I have in Australia over the last 10 years, so it's conditions we know really well. And I think the positive thing is that we've played some really good one-day cricket against India over here over the last few years so we can draw back on that and that can be front of mind." - Australia will not be in alien conditions reckons Pat Cummins.

Squads:

Australia Squad: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Sean Abbott, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis

India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Suryakumar Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Shubman Gill