Australia Opt to Bowl as Reddy, Renshaw, and Owen Make ODI Debuts in Series Opener Against India

Australia won the toss and elected to bowl first against India in the opening One Day International (ODI) of the series at Optus Stadium, where both sides unveiled a fresh look with multiple debutants.

India’s Nitish Kumar Reddy was handed his maiden ODI cap by Rohit Sharma, continuing his rise after making a memorable Test debut at the same venue last year. Reddy, listed to bat at No. 8, is one of three allrounders selected by India, alongside Washington Sundar and Axar Patel. The selection meant wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav missed out on a place in the XI.

Shubman Gill began his ODI captaincy tenure, opening the batting alongside Rohit, while Virat Kohli slotted back into his familiar No. 3 position. The match also marks the first 50-over outing for India since their Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year.

Australia, meanwhile, fielded a team in transition, featuring two ODI debutants in Matt Renshaw and Mitchell Owen. Renshaw received his cap from former international Shaun Marsh, while Owen was presented his by Tim David, his teammate at the Hobart Hurricanes. Wicketkeeper Josh Philippe returned to the ODI side for the first time since 2021 and will don the gloves in this match.

With overcast conditions and rain looming, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh hoped the decision to bowl first would offer his bowlers early assistance. Despite the presence of experienced pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Australia opted against an all-pace attack, bringing in left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann in place of the unavailable Adam Zampa.

Optus Stadium has not hosted an ODI since last summer, and the drop-in pitch adds an element of unpredictability. While Australia have lost all three of their previous ODIs at this ground, India are playing their first-ever 50-over match here. Weather interruptions are likely, with light rain already in the morning and heavier showers forecast for later in the day.

More than 40,000 fans are expected in attendance, with the ground’s capacity capped at approximately 45,000 for the match.

Playing XIs:

Australia:
Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Matthew Short, Josh Philippe (wk), Matt Renshaw, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Matt Kuhnemann, Josh Hazlewood.

India:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (capt), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.