All-rounder Mitchell Marsh was sent to open the innings along with Travis Head

The first match of the series is being played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. In this match, India won the toss and opted to field first in the first ODI match against Australia at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Friday.
Hardik Pandya has footed up as the stand-in captain for the first match of the ODI series, as Rohit Sharma is unavailable. Pandya has played the captaincy role quite well for the IPL franchise Gujarat Titans. He will be keen to showcase his captaincy skills on a big stage. On the other hand, Steve Smith will also lead Australia in the ODI series.  

India skipper Hardik Pandya said at the toss, "We'll bowl first. It is a good track and the dew factor will be there. We feel we will do well in the second innings. I got some time off, breaks are like gold dust for me so it gave me a chance to rest and improve. Playing for India every game and every format is important. With this being a WC year, the ODI format is important. We've gone with four quicks - Shardul, Shami, myself, and Siraj. Two spinners in Jadeja and Kuldeep."

It was expected that David Warner will play the first ODI, but stand-in skipper Steve Smith announced that the opener is yet to heal completely from his elbow hurt. Notably, David Warner struck on the elbow in the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and was unavailable for the final two matches of the series. Now, in his absence, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was sent to open the innings along with Travis Head.