It is almost showtime as India and Australia gear up for the first ODI at the WACA in Perth on Tuesday.
There will be a number of fierce battles when the stars from the two powerhouse nations collide in this series.
Here is a look at five key battles for the 1st ODI in Perth:
Virat Kohli vs Joel Paris: Kohli was in top form when he scored those four back-to-back centuries against Australia in the Test series last year. The India Test skipper could not carry that form into the triangular series that followed. The 27-year-old's statistics in the triangular series, which also involved England, was well below par. Kohli scored only 24 runs in four matches, at an average of only 8.00, with his highest score in that series being nine.
The Delhi batsman managed to get out of that rough patch, scoring 305 runs in eight games during the ICC World Cup 2015, at an average of 50.83. Now, the India Test skipper is back in Australia again, keen to shine with the bat against the world champions.
Joel Paris, who has been named as the replacement for Mitchell Starc and will make his ODI debut on Tuesday, will try and make things difficult for Kohli. The lanky left-arm seamer has been included in the Australia ODI squad, after some impressive performances for Western Australia and the {erth Scorchers in the Big Bash League. Paris will see Kohli's wicket as one of his premier targets.
Rohit Sharma vs Josh Hazlewood: India's 'hitman' Rohit Sharma will open the batting alongside Shikhar Dhawan again. Australia is quite aware of Rohit's destructive abilities. Rohit scored a brilliant hundred against Australia during the triangular series in January, 2015 at the MCG. The Mumbai Indians skipper scored another hundred against Bangladesh in the quarterfinal of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 as well. It is quite evident that Rohit likes batting on these Australian wickets, as the ball comes on to the bat very nicely. But he will have to be wary of the extra bounce on the WACA wicket. Hazlewood is someone, who can capitalise on that extra bounce, and with the fast bowler's ability to hit the right line the majority of the time, he will be a dangerous customer.
Steve Smith vs Ravichandran Ashwin: The Australia captain will be up against one of the best spinners in the world. Smith is an outstanding player of spin bowling and Ashwin will surely test his skills during the first ODI of the five-match series at WACA. Ashwin, who recently claimed the No.1 spot in the ICC rankings in the longest format of the game, will be a crucial weapon for MS Dhoni. And the skipper will like to unleash his best weapon against the best player in the first ODI.
David Warner vs Ishant Sharma: The left-handed opening batsman has been a treat to watch of late, and he can cause a lot of havoc at the top of the order. Warner sends shivers down the spine of the bowlers around the world with his slam-bang ability. Ishant will have to bowl the perfect line and length to the devastating left-hander. Warner has had problems when the ball is around that corridor of uncertainty just outside the off stump and Ishant should capitalise on that.
Glenn Maxwell vs Ravindra Jadeja: Maxwell is coming into the first ODI, after a string of good performances in the Big Bash League for the Melbourne Stars. 'Maxy', as he is popularly known, is one of the most dangerous batsmen in for Australia, as he can single-handedly rip apart any bowling attack in the world. To tackle Maxwell, Dhoni will bank on Ravindra Jadeja, who has been in outstanding form of late. Jadeja bowled extremely well against South Africa. Varying the pace of his deliveries will be key to Jadeja troubling Maxwell.
