mobanmarketLondon: India captain Virat Kohli said it was a “no-brainer” to bat first against Australia after winning the toss in a key World Cup match at the Oval on Sunday.
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India, the world’s number two side in one-day international cricket, and one of the favourites to win the 50-over showpiece event, were unchanged from their tournament-opening win over South Africa.
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“It looks like a really nice wicket,” said Kohli at the toss. “It’s nice and hard and dry. It’s a used pitch and we think it’s going to get lower and slower as the game goes on. Scoreboard pressure is always going to count.
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“The sun is out, it’s the Oval – it’s a no-brainer to bat first,” the star batsman added.
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As for India fielding an unchanged side, Kohli said: “The bowling line-up was really balanced. We don’t want to change anything.
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“We won the first game, the team is in good spirits, and we want to come out here and execute the same game plan.”
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Reigning champions Australia have won both their games in this World Cup so far.
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They picked the same side that edged out the West Indies by 15 runs in Nottingham on Thursday.
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Australia captain Aaron Finch admitted he would have also batted first had he won the toss, but backed his side to maintain their winning run all the same.
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“I would have batted first, for the same reasons as Virat,” said Finch.
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“It might get a little bit slower later on. Either way, in the first 10 overs you’ve got to look to do the business.
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“We weighed up making chances but we’re confident with the way we’ve been going.”
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Australia are on a 10-match winning streak in ODIs but Finch added: “In a World Cup – it’s a different kind of pressure than playing a series against the same side. It’s another good opportunity for the players to impress.”
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Teams:
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Australia: Aaron Finch (capt) David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wkt), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
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India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (capt), KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wkt), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah