West Indies captain Brian Lara won the toss and elected to bat against Australia in a Group A match of the ICC Champions Trophy, at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
The West Indies, who were crushed by Sri Lanka by nine wickets in their last match of the qualifiers, were forced to make a change. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who is down with severe dehydration due to food poisoning, was replaced by Runako Morton.
Chris Gayle will open the batting with fellow left-hander Wavell Hinds.
For Australia, Shane Watson was entrusted with the task of opening the innings with Adam Gilchrist, who makes a return to the Australian side after being rested for the Malaysia tri-series.
The pitch used for the match will come under special scrutiny following two low-scoring encounters, the last two at the venue.
The West Indies were bowled out for a paltry 80 against Sri Lanka, while New Zealand successfully defended a meager 195 by bowling out South Africa for 108.
Cricket Club of India president Rajsingh Dungarpur had remarked on Tuesday that if the pitch produces another low-scoring affair, then the final could be shifted to some other venue.
Teams:
West Indies: Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan Runako Morton, Chris Gayle, Wavell Hinds, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Marlon Samuels, Carlton Baugh Jr, Ian Bradshaw, Jerome Taylor.
Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Shane Watson, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath.
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