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India and Australia's clash in the 2023 World Cup today would be the second time they'll play against each other in Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium this year.
On the previous occasion, on March 22, Australia trounced the hosts by 21 runs. None of the Australians scored a half-century as the visitors huffed and puffed to 269. Virat Kohli scored 54 (72) in the chase but India's lower order failed badly. Twenty wickets fell in what was a rare ODI dominated by spinners from both sides.
Since then, though, both bowling attacks have gone through some changes. India have got a big boost with Jasprit Bumrah's return but will be without Axar Patel. Australia would be without Marcus Stoinis and Ashton Agar but will be happy to see their captain, Pat Cummins, back in the playing 11.
The turn and bounce at Chepauk offers something for everyone and you can expect bowlers to direct the match again.
Below, we predict the three bowlers who can take the most wickets today and why:
#3 Adam Zampa - Australia
Spinners took 11 out of the 18 wickets that fell in the aforementioned game in March. This only followed the set pattern for Chepauk. Spinners average 33.04 here, the second-best for any ground in India after a minimum of 15 innings.
Historically, pacers have averaged even better but since 2021, spinners average 21.18 (11 wickets) here compared to pacers' average of 39.71 (seven wickets). If early reports are to be believed, the pitch today would again offer some turn and bounce for the spinners amid a dry-ish Chennai weather.
This could play perfectly in the hands of Australia's lead leg-spinner Adam Zampa. He has played 21 ODIs against India, the most against any opponent, picking up 34 wickets at a decent average of 31.65. His best spell against Rohit Sharma's team, 4/45, came at Chepauk in that March game.
Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer have all been troubled by Zampa before and are a bit susceptible against leg-spin overall as well. In Ashton Agar's absence, he'll have a bigger responsibility in the spin department. If he takes it up with courage, a lot of wickets might fall in his pocket again.
#2 Mitchell Starc - Australia
This one is more of a punt. Mitchell Starc doesn't have a great record in India or against the Men in Blue overall. However, he's a different beast in World Cups altogether.
The left-arm pacer was the highest wicket-taker in both the previous editions of the tournament in 2015 (22 wickets) and 2017 (27 wickets). He's now just one wicket away from becoming the fastest-ever to reach 50 World Cup scalps.
His hat-trick against the Netherlands in the warm-up match also showed that he's in form and brimming with rhythm after a year of blow-hot-blow-cold spells.
India have a long-standing problem against left-arm seam and Starc's pace and slingy action make him the most lethal among them.
On the off chance that the Chepauk curators want to start the massive tournament with a fresh, not-so-spin-friendly wicket, he could extract some early swing.
Starc would be Pat Cummins' favored weapon to bowl at the death overs where he would get a chance to pick some cheap wickets against India's lower order.
#1 Kuldeep Yadav - India
Personal form, pitch conditions, history, and everything else are in Kuldeep Yadav's favor for today.
He has played 20 matches against the Aussies, returning with 29 wickets, including a hat-trick, at an average of 37.59. In those games, he has only returned wicketless four times. He took three wickets in the March game at Chepauk and two for 33 runs in the only other time he played against Australia at this ground in September 2017.
The left-arm wrist-spinner has been in stunning form since coming back from his knee injury. Kuldeep has upped his pace which has made his variations a bit more difficult to read. This has meant that even when batters try to play him out instead of taking risks, he brings both edges into the play with slips in place.
If he's not in your fantasy teams yet, this is your sign to reconsider.
