India Vs Australia 1st ODI: Mumbai Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report, Weather Forecast, Stats & Record

Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to host India vs Australia 1st ODI

From a month of red ball action, Team India and Australia will now battle in the white ball format, starting with the first ODI of the three-match series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday (March 17).

Hardik Pandya will lead India in Rohit Sharma's absence, while Steve Smith continue in his stand-in skipper's role as Pat Cummins has remained at home following a family bereavement.

India defeated the Australian side 2-1 in the Test series, but now it will be a whole different game as the action shifts to limited over format and both teams will look at this series as platform to build their teams for the World Cup later this year.

There will be a few new faces in both the squads as some of Test specialists are not part of the series. The likes of Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis are among the players that have arrived for the visitors.

For the hosts, the likes of Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur and Umran Malik are some names that will link up with some of the Test team players.

The two sides will clash at the Wankhede Stadium Stadium for the fifth time. And it's a venue where Australia have had more joy in their meetings with India.

The visitors have won three, including the most recent one in 2020 when Aaron Finch and David Warner smashed unbeaten hundreds to take the team home in a run chase of 256. That was also the last ODI at the venue.

Here is a look at the Wankhede Stadium Stats, Record, Pitch Report and Mumbai Weather Forecast ahead of India vs Australia 1st ODI:

Mumbai Wankhede Stadium Info, Pitch Report and Weather Forecast

Seating Capacity: 33,000

Ends: Garware Pavillion End and Tata End

Boundary Dimensions: Depends on the wicket used for the match, but the average length is 75-80 meters straight and 58-70 meters on the squares.

Number of international matches hosted: 26 Tests, 22 ODIs and 8 T20Is

Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report

The wickets at the Wankhede has offered early assistance to pacers and helped the spinners as the game progresses. While it has been an entertaining venue in T20 format, the games at the Wankhede have not seen many high-scoring matches except for the one in 2015 when South Africa scored 438 in the first innings.

The most recent ODI at the venue saw Australia chase down a score of 256 with ease. As the average also show scores below 250, the same could be the case on Friday (March 17) as well.

Mumbai Weather Forecast

The weather forecast for Friday (March 17) indicates a sunny and very humid afternoon with max temperature of 32^o C, but cools down a little in the evening with a minimum of 29^o C during the playing hours.

While the forecast shows dry days, there is light rain expected on the matchday and in the lead up to the match. However, it is unclear if it could have big impact on the match.