Team India is well on the verge of witnessing a second consecutive ODI series whitewash, but they will be fighting for their pride in the third and the final ODI against Australia. The men in blue will be will to do whatever it has in its powers to win the game despite having their backs against the wall with several unanswered questions looming over the team.
The Indian team has been feeling the absence of Rohit Sharma, but the inefficiency of bowlers has also been exposed as Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, and Ravindra Jadeja have been struggling to take wickets. On the other hand, the Aussies will be forced to find a replacement for David Warner. who sustained an injury in the second ODI that saw him leave the field mid-way. He has also been ruled out of the T20I series and replaced by D’Arcy Short.
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Meanwhile, Pat Cummins will also miss the remainder of limited-overs matches as he will be rested ahead of the Test series. Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne, and Matthew Wade will be expected to open along with Aaron Finch while one of Daniel sams, Andrew Tye, and Sean Abbott could come in place of Cummins.
As for India, they can be expected to include Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur while Manish Pandey could also get the nod if skipper Virat Kohli decides to make a change in the batting unit.
Australia
Warner’s groin injury may have long-term implications, but Australia will be looking to replace him with Wade, and with the series in pocket, it won’t be a bad call to give Cameron Green a debut as well. Sean Abbott should be a shoo-in for Cummins, who’s been rested for the remainder of the white-ball matches. And he’ll also further lengthen and strengthen the Aussie batting line-up.
Probable XI: Aaron Finch (c), Matthew Wade/Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschange, Moises Henriques, Alex Carey (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa
India
Funnily enough, the Manuka Oval will be a good pitch for someone like Navdeep Saini, but teh Indian skipper wouldn’t like to risk letting the young fast bowler further lose his confidence. The same could be said about Jasprit Bumrah, who’s not been himself in the first two matches. Hence, Shardul Thakur and T Natarajan can be expected to get some chance. The only other potential change could be with Kuldeep Yadav coming in for Yuzvendra Chahal.
Probable XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Navdeep Saini/Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami/T Natarajan, Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
