India will look to get back into one-day mode in the best manner possible with victory over hosts Australia in match two of the tri-series.
Australia showed they are a force to be reckoned with at home with a convincing win over England in the tri-series opener on Friday, and India will have to be at their best if they are to open the tournament with maximum points.
The Aussies were quite impressive against England, showing their prowess with both bat and ball. Mitchell Starc was the catalyst with the white cherry in hand, picking up two wickets in the first three balls of the match to send England into disarray.
Had it not been for a fighting century from England captain Eoin Morgan the match would have been over quite early, but even that hundred was not enough as Australia scampered home with a bonus point courtesy a wonderful ton from David Warner.
India will know Australia will be buzzing with confidence after that bonus point win, and after falling to the hosts in the Test series, a bit of revenge, no doubt, will be on their minds as well.
While victory in the tri-series will be important, more vital is getting some much-needed ODI match practice in these conditions ahead of the World Cup. A lot of pundits have ruled India out of contention for the World Cup, despite them being the defending champions, owing largely to the fact that they will be playing in Australia and New Zealand.
India are not considered the greatest of travellers, but as they showed in England in the ODI series last year and the Champions Trophy before that, they are a formidable force, irrespective of the conditions, when it comes to limited-overs cricket.
"We have done well in the last two ICC tournaments and both of them were away," said MS Dhoni, back at the captaincy helm after handing over the Test match reins to Virat Kohli. "But the conditions in Australia and New Zealand are quite different.
"You also have to keep in mind the form of the players and the little niggles that some of them are carrying. But yes, we will take a lot of confidence out of our last few performances in the ICC tournaments."
India have a few decisions to make when it comes to team selection, with Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja ruled out of the match against Australia in Melbourne. Dhoni also has to decide on who will open with Shikhar Dhawan – Rohit Sharma or Ajinkya Rahane.
There are plenty of questions still lingering over what India's best XI is and Dhoni and Duncan Fletcher will hope this tri-series helps them to decide on the final makeup of the team heading into the World Cup.
Where to Watch Live
Get the Match Report and Score HERE
Tri-series match Australia vs India is set to begin at 2.20 pm AEDT (8.50 am IST, 3.20 am GMT) with live coverage in India on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports HD1. Viewers in India can also watch the match online via free live streaming online on Starsports.com or via the Starspors Live Pro option.
Catch Match Two of the Calrton Mid Tri-Series live in Australia on Channel 9, while the option to live stream is on Cricket Australia Live or the Cricket Australia Live App. Viewers in the UK can catch the ODI match live on Sky Sports 2 or via a live stream on Sky Go or Watch Sky Sports.
India vs Australia can be watched live by the audience in the USA on Willow TV while the match can also be live streamed on Willow TV Online. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the big ODI match live on OSN or via live streaming online on OSN Play.
