India won the toss and opted to bat first against Australia at The Oval on Sunday.
Both teams did not make any changes to their line-ups.
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World Cups are largely about the macro-vision. It reflects an all-encompassing gaze, blends in a fierce desire to script fresh legacies, and always thrives upon a squad’s itch to prove its global credentials. Unfortunately for India and its larger footprint of Twitterati, fans and sections of the media, the focus was solely on an army insignia that M.S. Dhoni flaunted on his wicket-keeping gloves during the match against South Africa at Southampton.
The gesture reflected the former India captain’s fondness for the army but it violated the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) player-apparel rules. The subsequent brouhaha over the ICC’s reservations and the vitriolic utterances that marred the digital space, did a disservice to the fact that India had started its campaign on a winning note with a six-wicket triumph over the Proteas. Thankfully the ICC refused to budge and now that the controversy is on the wane, Virat Kohli’s men can get back to doing what they perform best — play cricket.