India vs Australia 2017, 1st ODI: Statistical Preview

Well, heading into the match, Australia does have ground advantage. They have been an unbeaten side at Chidambaram stadium with a record of 6-0 ODI record. While Team India have managed to pull off six victories and lost the remaining five matches played in Chennai.

PTI

New Delhi: After a historic 'tour-wash' of Sri Lanka, in their own backyard, Team India is now up against Australia, who have been rather dubbed as the 'underdogs' heading into the limited-over bilateral series that starts off on September 17 at M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Virat Kohli-led India are up an rolling in the limited-over format since their Champions Trophy campaign in London. Despite suffering a heavy defeat in the finals at the hands of their arch-rivals Pakistan, the Men in Blue regrouped to pull off a splendid Tour of West Indies in July. Heading back to Asia, they crumbled down Sri Lankan hope to clinch an astounding 9-0 victory in all formats of the game and now, are all geared up to emulate the same over the team from Down Under.

For Australia, it has been a rough summer. Steve Smith-led side were shown the exit door in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 under unfortunate cicumstances. Following their league stage departure, Australian cricketers were engulfed in pay dispute that kept them off the pitch for over a month. Finally, came the Bangladesh tour, a two-match Test series, where they pulled off a win in the second to end the series 1-1. For the first time in fact, the team will be heading in as mere 'underdogs' with poor Asia record by their side.

Here are the statistics in line for the first ODI match between India and Australia to be played at M Chidambaram Stadium, on Sunday...

1) Well, heading into the match, Australia does have ground advantage. They have been an unbeaten side at Chidambaram stadium with a record of 4-0 ODI record. While Team India have managed to pull off six victories and lost the remaining five matches played in Chennai.

2) It has been a total run-fest each time the two teams have faced. In fact, since 2013, the average score of the team batting first has been 321 runs. The highest ever score amassed has been 383 for six, by India in Bengaluru where the hosts ahd won by 57 runs.

3) If India can notch up yet another 350-plus score then they can surpass South Africa's tally of 25 such scores. Ergo, they will go atop.

4) Rohit Sharma has been the most prolific batsman in an India-Australia bilateral series, with 1297 runs at an average of 68.26 and stands atop among active cricketers. With 5 centuries, he is one behind Aussie great Ricky Ponting in all-time list of most ODI tons as far as this bilateral series is concerned. Leading the chart is Sachjin Tendulkar with 9 centuries.

5) Mahendra Singh Dhoni is now 22 runs behind former skipper Mohammad Azharuddin's run tally of 15,593 across all formats of cricket. He will thus become the fifth-highest run-scorer for India.

6) In fact, if the wicket-keeper batsman can notch up another half-century, he will have 100 international fifties combining all three formats of the game.

7) Kohli needs 23 runs more to surpass veteran left-handed batsman Yuvraj Singh (8609) to become the sixth-highest run-getter for India in ODIs.

8) One more ravishing century by the India skipper could make him the second on the list of most ODI tons notched up. With 30 centuries, he is now tied with Ponting, but leading the chart is still Sachin Tendulkar with 49 centuries.

9) Umesh Yadav needs two more wickets to become 19th Indian bowler to scalp 100 ODI wickets. But one more could take him past former India skipper Sourav Ganguly in terms of wickets-tally.