Last Updated: March 16, 2023, 23:41 IST
Mumbai Weather Forecast and Pitch Report at Wankhede Stadium (Photo – BCCI Twitter)
IND vs AUS, Mumbai Weather and Pitch Report: Check the weather forecast and pitch report for Friday’s ODI match between India and Australia
Mumbai Weather Forecast & pitch report for India vs Australia ODI: After bagging the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India is now set to play three-match One-day Internationals against Australia on home soil. The opening ODI is slated to take place on March 17 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Since the ICC World Cup is knocking at the door, both teams will take the series as the preparatory platform. In the absence of Pat Cummins, Steve Smith will captain the Australian unit, while Hardik Pandya will lead the Men in Blue, replacing designated skipper Rohit Sharma.
Team India has been enjoying excellent form in white-ball formats. They will look to continue the momentum as batters such as Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav look to be in good touch. In addition, Ravindra Jadeja is charging up to make a return to 50-over cricket following his knee surgery. However, the hosts will miss the service of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah. On the other hand, the Aussies will be powered by experienced cricketers like David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc.
Pitch Report:
The first ODI between India and Australia is anticipated to be a high-scoring affair as the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium is known to be heaven for the batters. On the other hand, pacers may get some assistance in the later phase of the match while the spinners may come in handy during the middle overs. The average first-innings total on this surface is 240, in contrast to the second innings’ 201. It doesn’t tell the whole story as looking at the venue’s previous fixtures, the chasing units hold a superior winning record as they have emerged victorious in 14 out of 27 games.
Weather Report:
The weather at the Wankhede Stadium is predicted to be partly cloudy on March 17. However, the rain will not play a spoilsport during the first ODI between India and Australia. The wind speed is expected to be around 8-16 km/h during the highly-anticipated fixture, while the temperature could hover from 26 degrees Celsius to 31 degrees Celsius. The humidity is expected to be moderate at almost 55-63 percent.
India (IND) vs Australia (AUS) Possible Starting XI:
India Predicted Starting Line-up: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umran Malik
Australia Predicted Starting Line-up: David Warner, Travis Head, Steve Smith (c), Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (w), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott
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