India set to challenge cricket-superpower Australia tomorrow:Rohit-Kohli return to international cricket after 7 months for first ODI clash on 19 Oct

The Indian team, captained by 26-year-old Shubman Gill, has arrived in Australia, considered the superpower of cricket, to challenge them in their own soil. Tomorrow (October 19), the first ODI between the two will be played from 9 AM. The task is big – to defeat Australia, that too in their own home. That Australia, in whose dictionary the word ‘defeat’ does not exist. It’s not that Team India has never been able to defeat Australia. The team had defeated the Aussies by 4 wickets in the last match. However, this time the challenge will be different. India has a new skipper, leading the Indian team for the first time in this format. Before this, legends like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni have led the team. Now, no matter how composed one is, Gill will be under pressure to carry forward that legacy. What’s special about IND vs AUS 1st ODI tomorrow? ‘The Last Dance’ from Rohit-Kohli for their fans? Chief selector Ajit Agarkar answered this question. He said, “Rohit and Kohli’s performance will be evaluated after every series, not after every match.” Agarkar further added, “If they (Rohit-Kohli) don’t score runs in Australia, it doesn’t mean they will be dropped from the team, and if they score three centuries, it doesn’t mean they should be considered selected for the 2027 World Cup right now.” Match Preview in 5 Points 1. A look at the records Rohit Sharma has scored 990 runs against Australia in their home. He will complete 1000 runs by scoring 10 more runs. He will become the first Indian batter to do so. In this list, Virat Kohli (802 runs) and Sachin Tendulkar (740 runs) are at third place. Australia’s Travis Head can complete 3000 runs in ODI cricket. He is 58 runs away from this milestone. Head has so far scored 2942 runs in 76 matches with the help of 7 centuries and 17 half-centuries. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer needs 155 runs to complete 3000 ODI runs and is 240 runs away from 5000 international runs. 2. Head-to-Head Australia won 55% of matches against India Australia has had the upper hand in head-to-head encounters. The team has played 152 ODI matches against India so far. Out of these, the Aussies have won 84, which is 55%. India has won 58 matches; meanwhile, 10 matches ended with no result. Australia’s dominance rate increases on home pitches, which is clearly reflected in the statistics. India has played 54 matches in Australia. The Indian team has only been able to win on 14 occasions. Australia has defeated India at home in 38 matches and 2 matches ended with no result. 3. Weather and Pitch Report Weather: 60% chance of rain in Perth On the match day, there is a 60 percent chance of rain during the day and 40 percent at night in Perth. It is the end of winter in Australia, and it usually rains during this season. In such a situation, rain might play the spoilsport. WACA pitch will have more bounce The WACA pitch has been brought and installed at Perth Stadium. The WACA pitch is known as one of the fastest and bounciest pitches in the world. This means fast bowlers are bound to get help. In such a scenario, the Australian pace attack led by Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will severely test the Indian batters. Pitch conditions in 2 points… 4. Possible Playing-11 India: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (Wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar/Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj/Arshdeep Singh Australia: Mitchell Marsh (Captain), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Matt Renshaw, Josh Philippe (Wicketkeeper), Mitchell Owen, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood. Where to watch? The first ODI match between India and Australia can be watched on Star Sports and JioHotstar. Along with this, you can watch LIVE coverage of the match on the Bhaskar app.