India, Sept. 24 -- Australia and South Africa will renew their ODI rivalry when they meet in the series opener of the three-match contest at Kingsmead in Durban on Thursday, with both sides beginning an important phase of their preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Australia arrive with momentum after completing a 3-0 sweep of Zimbabwe. Pat Cummins returns to captain the side after missing that series, while Mitchell Starc also comes back to strengthen an experienced pace attack. However, Cummins is unlikely to feature in the series opener as his workload continues to be managed.

Travis Head, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa and Josh Inglis add further international pedigree, while Cooper Connolly will look to build on his recent run of for...