After winning the Test series against Australia for the fourth time in a row, the Men in Blue will face the Aussies in the first of three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) on Friday, March 17 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. Due to the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma for the series opener, Hardik Pandya will head the side against the tourists.

Despite a memorable clean sweep against the Kiwis in an ODI series earlier this year, the hosts will be wary of Steve Smith's visiting Australian team. Several Indian players will be looking to make an impression in the forthcoming series, as the 50-over World Cup is set to be held in the subcontinent later this year.

Shubman Gill, India's brash opener, has been in top form since the turn of the year, and he reminded people of his exploits with a brilliant ton against Australia in Ahmedabad in his most recent game. He has three centuries in his last four ODIs for India in 2023 and will be aiming to continue his outstanding form with the bat in Mumbai.

While Gill has been enjoying his time at the top of the list, Ishan Kishan has struggled in his recent national team appearances. His record-breaking 210 against Bangladesh in December 2022 appears to be a distant recollection at the moment, as the southpaw struggles for runs in white-ball cricket. After punishing the Aussies on a batting-friendly surface in Ahmedabad, the former Indian captain finally ended his century drought in the longest version of the game. In the absence of captain Rohit Sharma, he will have to anchor the Indian innings, which he is used to doing in ODIs.

Suryakumar Yadav has re-entered the ODI squad following the unfortunate injury to Shreyas Iyer. The world's top T20I batter has struggled to reproduce his form in the longer forms of the game, and he will be hoping to improve his reputation in the 50-over format in the upcoming series against Australia.

Hardik Pandya (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Shardul Thakur are all all-rounders. In the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, India's all-rounder Hardik Pandya will lead the team in the first ODI against Australia. While his personal form has dipped in recent games, his captaincy abilities have come to the fore for the Men in Blue in pivotal matches.

Ravindra Jadeja's first white-ball task since returning from a long-term injury will be against Australia. The left-arm spinner, who shared the Test series player of the series award with Ravichandran Ashwin, will be looking to repeat his form in the 50-over format.

Washington Sundar is yet another spin-bowling all-rounder for India in the shorter forms of the game. The 23-year-old off-spinner from Tamil Nadu impressed in India's white-ball match against New Zealand earlier this year and will be vying for a place in the squad for the 50-over World Cup later this year.

Shardul Thakur may not be the most glamorous cricketer in the world, but he consistently makes an impression for India. The bowling all-rounder was a key figure for the Men in Blue in their thrilling ODI series victory over the Kiwis, as his clutch performance in the series opener set the groundwork for a clean sweep of the Blackcaps.

Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj are the bowlers. Kuldeep Yadav is another Indian cricketer who has found fresh life since returning to the national team following last year's IPL. The left-arm spinner has 11 wickets in his last five ODI outings and was one of India's better bowlers against the Kiwis in January. Mohammed Shami, the veteran Indian pacer, is showing no signs of slowing down, as the 32-year-old was at his best in the recently completed Test series against Australia.

He will be in charge of leading the lines for the Men in Blue in the upcoming series, and he will be vital with the new ball. Mohammed Siraj, India's trump card in the 50-over format, was recently named the world's best ODI bowler. While his tenacity with the new ball always causes problems for opposing batters, he has also considerably improved his death bowling to provide India with a lethal option in the latter stages of matches.

Provable team India playing XI- India: Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj