India's strongest ODI playing XI for Australia tour

The Indian Cricket team will travel to Australia in November 2018 to play 3 T20s, 3 ODIs and 4 Tests from the 21st of November 2018 to the 18th of January 2019. This will be a huge series for India as they'd want to prove themselves in away Test tours and also in the context of the 2019 World Cup.

The series will be key to the team's future, as it will not just test the cricketers' abilities in difficult conditions abroad, but on top of that will a be a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. India is among one of the leading contenders to lift the 2019 World Cup which will be held in England.

This is the right time for India to register an away ODI series victory because the current Australian ODI side is a little fragile. The last time India was there Australia won the ODI series 4-1.

This is a try to forge an 11 which will be perhaps India's best team to take on the Kangaroos Down-under.

Openers - Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma

Opening is one area where there are a lot of contenders in the Indian team.

It is almost certain that India's tried and tested opening combination, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan will open the batting in the ODI series against Australia. The southpaw loves batting in tough conditions and will get another opportunity to prove how dominating and consistent he can be in the ODIs. The aggressive Dhawan must try and get India off to a flying start.

Perhaps the most successful opening batsman in the limited-overs format over the past three years, Rohit Sharma will accompany Dhawan at the top of the order. Rohit Sharma likes to play against Australia, as he averages 66.38 against them.

Middle order - Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav and Virat Kohli

Kohli is the best player in the team and there is no one better than the right-hander in ODIs. The world's premier batsman across all formats, captain Virat Kohli, will walk out at the number three spot to handle the flow of the game and dictate terms to the oppositions.

Kedar Jadhav last played an ODI for India on 7 February 2018 against South Africa, and it is highly likely that he might get into the Indian ODI side. Jadhav is a good middle-order batsman and his off-breaks are quite handy too. The Karnataka batsman, KL Rahul, will be eager to perform and secure his place in the side. He could be the no 4 batsmen which India are looking for.

Wicketkeeper and All-rounder - MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya

MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya

MS Dhoni must apply the finishing touch to the India batting in order for them to succeed, much like he has been doing for Chennai this IPL. Be it with his glove-work, his batting or his experience, Dhoni is indispensable to this Virat Kohli-led India side.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya, in spite of recent struggles with the bat, is expected to retain his place in the side at number 7. Aggressive and flamboyant, Pandya will have to stick to his guns and back his abilities to succeed against the opponents away from home. A lot rides on him, Pandya needs to perform well overseas if India has to lift the 2019 World Cup. His all-round abilities could balance the team well and will be vital for India's future.

Spinners - Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal

Wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal complement each other well. They played a key role in helping India win their first ever ODI series win in South Africa and were good in the series against England also, especially Kuldeep.

Chahal's leg-spin will come in handy for India during the middle overs to break partnerships and choke the run flow. Chahal is very consistent and can be relied upon both in the powerplays and then in the middle overs. Kuldeep Yadav could prove to be the X-factor on this tour. Kuldeep's variations could make life extremely difficult for the batsmen, who are not the best at playing spin.

Fast bowlers - Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bumrah is arguably the best limited-overs bowler at the moment as he is dangerous with the new ball and is lethal in the death overs, thanks to his variations. Capable of bowling whenever required, Bumrah will be Kohli's most potent weapon.

Perhaps the most complete bowler for India across all the three formats, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will once again be the leader of the attack. Master of swing - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, he can be lethal in the death overs as well. The ability to nail yorkers and change pace makes these two bowlers pretty hard to score against.