Team India is squaring off against Australia in the first ODI of a three-match series, when put into context is crucial given the ODI World Cup is scheduled to be held after six months in India. India as well as Australia are prime favourites alongside England for the World Cup. 

Both India and Australia don’t have as many ODI matches before the tournament, so they will look to go in with a renewed spirit to inch closer to the elusive trophy and find the perfect ODI combination going forward. Interestingly, India and Australia are two of the seven teams who have already directly qualified for the World Cup, by virtue of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points table. However, the ongoing ODI series is not part of the same.