INDIA and Australia are set to battle it out in a three-match ODI series spanning over six days, starting tonight. Before the 50-over action gets underway, we take you through everything you need to know while watching along.

NEED TO KNOW

Watch: Fox Cricket, Kayo Sports
Follow: CA Live app, cricket.com.au

FIXTURE

Game One: Mumbai | Friday March 17, 7pm (AEDT)
Game Two: Vizag | Sunday March 19, 7pm (AEDT)
Game Three: Chennai | Wednesday March 22, 7pm (AEDT)

SQUADS

Australia: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Jaydev Unadkatt

TEAM NEWS

As was the case in the back-end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, Steve Smith will captain the Aussies as Pat Cummins remains home. Of course, the tourists will be without recently retired stalwart Aaron Finch, though his replacements are in tow.

David Warner is poised to return after having his Test campaign cut short by dual injuries, pegged to open alongside Travis Head. They spearhead an Australian squad packed with allrounders which is sure to shake up the batting order across the three games.

Among them are Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh, who both make their international returns from injury after short domestic stints. Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis are also set to see gametime, along with Ashton Agar who partners Adam Zampa in the spin department.

Agar was unused in the Test series and subsequently sent home, along with injured seamer Josh Hazlewood. He, and West Australian quick Jhye Richardson remain unavailable, replaced by Nathan Ellis in the squad. Mitchell Starc and Sean Abbott are Australia’s other pace options.

India is also set for a captaincy chance, albeit only for the first ODI. Star allrounder Hardik Pandya will lead the charge before Rohit Sharma reprises his role in the second and third matches. Injuries will see Shreyes Iyer (back) miss out, alongside long-term omissions Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant.

Though, fans across the world will wait in anticipation to see batter Suryakumar Yadav strutting his stuff for the hosts. The spectacular 360-degree hitter made his Test debut against Australia in Nagpur, but is far more established in the white ball formats.

FORM GUIDE

This will be the first ODI series between these two powerhouse nations since 2020, when Australia took a 2-1 series win on home soil. With the 50-over World Cup set to be held in India later this year, there will be no better test for both sides to see where they sit ahead of the tournament.

In a wider sense, Australia has won its last six ODIs, but faltered to a 3-5 record in its most recent two subcontinental series – against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, India has won seven games on the trot and remains a short form force to be reckoned with ahead of this year’s IPL.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Suryakumar Yadav (India)

It’s extremely hard to go past ‘SKY’ as the player to watch this series, arguably across both sides. Having made his Test debut in Nagpur, he wasn’t seen for the remainder of the red ball series but will inevitably have a say once the white ball is brought out. His array of shots and ability to score at a breathtaking rate screams match-winner. He’s one who could take each game away from the Aussies.

Travis Head (Australia)

Another belligerent batter capable of scoring at a good tick, Head is in fine fettle. He looks set to take over from where Finch left off atop Australia’s batting order and took to the same role with aplomb across the Test series. This is a different ball game, and arguably more suited to the left-hander’s style, with his flashing drives and aggressive mindset likely to be key tone-setters to each Australian innings.

PREDICTION

A repeat of the Test series, 2-1 India.