KL Rahul-led India won the toss in the 1st ODI against Australia and opted to bowl first. India will play three matches vs Australia starting Friday, September 22, at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. This is a good chance for Mohali and Chandigarh fans of the Indian cricket team to witness the Men In Blue in action as the iconic venue is not hosting any game of the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023 which is kicking off on October 5. 


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This will be a last chance for both the sides to brush up their skills as well as try out some players ahead of the World Cup. India have included R Ashwin in the side as they want to see if he is a good option to replace spin bowler in the  World Cup-bound squad. Shreyas Iyer's fitness, at the same time, will be in focus.


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The big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya are missing from the squad for the first two ODIs as team management wants them to stay fresh mentally and physically ahead of the World Cup. Speaking to the press ahead of the 1st ODI, head coach Rahul Dravid said, "The decision to rest Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma was taken after mutual discussion and consultation as team wants them to be fresh mentally and physically for the World Cup."



Dravid also said that Ashwin's inclusion gives them an option of someone who can bat at No 8 and is an experienced spinner. 


The former India middle-order batter also said that the management is trusting Suryakumar Yadav to come good in three games against Australia. He said, "Suryakumar has shown what he can do in T20s. We are backing him in ODIs. Hopefully he can turn in around in next three games vs Australia."


Mohali Weather Update India vs Australia 1st ODI


The Asia Cup 2023 saw plenty of rain. The fans, cricketers and other stakeholders were frustrated equally  by the poor weather for cricket in Sri Lanka's Pallekele and Colombo. The good news is that the India vs Australia series may not see all games getting threatened by rain. At least the first ODI between India and Australia will not be threatened by rain. 


As per Accuweather, the chances of rain in Mohali, the venue of the 1st ODI, is minimal. In afternoon and evening time in Mohali, the probablity of rain is 8 percent while the precipitation expected is 0.0mm. The weather will be clear but it will be humid all day and night.