The 2023 ODI World Cup is off to an eventful start. In the World Cup's opening match in Ahmedabad, New Zealand humbled England to avenge their loss in the epic 2019 World Cup final, and on Saturday, South Africa notched up a mammoth 428/5 against Sri Lanka in Delhi to rewrite a number of records. On Sunday, India will take on Australia in a blockbuster clash which will see two of the best teams in the world fighting for early honours in the marquee 50-over tournament. Let us take a look at some of the key individual battles that will help decide the outcome of the match. (Match Blog | Scorecard | Streaming | Full Coverage)
David Warner vs Mohammed Siraj
Mohammed Siraj has emerged as India's go-to new-ball bowler in ODIs, and took charge in the absence of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah to get the early breakthroughs for India. Siraj breathed fire in the recent Asia Cup final, where he demolished the Sri Lankan batting order with astounding figures of 6/21.
On the other hand, Australia's maverick opener David Warner has been among the runs in the last few games he has played, scoring a ton and a half-century in the ODI series in South Africa, and then three fifties in a row against India leading up to the World Cup. Warner, however, has shown a chink in his armour in the form of a vulnerability against the outswinger, and Siraj would be expected to exploit that weakness to send back the dangerman and inflict an early blow to the Aussies.
Virat Kohli vs Adam Zampa
This has been one of the more enduring rivalries of contemporary cricket. For a considerable amount of time, Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa was Virat Kohli's nemesis, both in international cricket as well as in the Indian Premier League. But as Indian batting mainstay Kohli has returned to form, he has fared better against Zampa too in their recent match-ups.
Zampa has dismissed Kohli eight times in international cricket, and five of those instances have been in 50-over cricket. But with Kohli in a rich vein of form of late, marked by his sparkling century in the Asia Cup against arch-rivals Pakistan, you can expect the former India captain to fight hard. It promises to be an engrossing battle that can decide which way the middle overs go when India bats.
Ravichandran Ashwin vs Steve Smith
Both the players are known for being devout students of the game and their commitment to the craft. While Steve Smith has been a thorn in most bowlers' flesh, ace India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had Smith's number in Tests in Australia, where Ashwin dismissed him three times in back-to-back matches.
Ashwin said he saw as many videos of Smith's batting as he could and came up with a plan for the tour to Australia. The plan clearly seemed to have worked then. On Sunday, as Ashwin makes a dramatic return to the India ODI suqad for a tournament as big as the World Cup, the Ashwin vs Smith battle is set to resume, this time in ODIs. Whoever wins this battle will help their side gain an upper hand in the match.
