India's Predicted XI for the first ODI against Australia

Wicketkeeper and All-rounder: MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya

England v India - 3rd ODI: Royal London One-Day Series

This probably could be his last trip to Australia. MS Dhoni has had a difficult 2018 with the bat and was even dropped from the T20I squad last year. However, with the World Cup in mind, the team management has decided to play him the limited-overs series against Australia and New Zealand.

Dhoni’s exploits with the bat aren’t great on Australian soil. The 37-year-old has played 32 ODIs in Australia and scored 860 runs at an average of 41. He has managed five 50+ scores, the highest being 88*. All of India would want Dhoni to get back to his best and score some runs against Australia.

This will be Hardik Pandya’s first One Day International in Australia. Pandya suffered a serious back injury at the 2018 Asia Cup and spent the rest of the year on the treatment table. With his all-round abilities, Pandya lends balance to this Indian team, especially in overseas conditions.

He has won quite a few games for India with both the bat and ball in the past couple of years. It is important for Kohli to get him back in form before the World Cup in England. Pandya has played five ODIs against Australia and scored 222 runs at an average of 56.