HomeCricketIndia vs Australia, Third ODI, Match Preview 

India vs Australia, Third ODI, Match Preview 

India and Australia make travel to Canberra for the final match of the three-match ODI series. Australia has already clinched the series with a remarkable batting dominance in Sydney. 

Match Timings: Dec 01, 9:10 AM (IST) 

Team Preview 

Things are going in a disappointing way for India since the beginning of this hectic Australia tour. Kohli’s troops have left SCG and reach Canberra to find some light in this long tunnel. Sydney delivered Virat Kohli, a 5th straight ODI loss. During this run, they lost to New Zealand and Australia. Men In Blue would try to avoid successive clean sweep Down Under. Team India bettered its number in the second game scoring a total of 338, but they didn’t improve in the bowling department. In Sydney, India conceded more than 200 runs in the last 20 overs, which created all the difference. India failed to pick any single wicket in powerplay from the last five matches. In middle-overs, there was a time when we used to see breakthroughs and controlled bowling by Indian spinners, but in 2020, opponents broke this theory by choosing an attacking approach. 

After the Manchester semifinal, Jadeja earned the trust from the skipper, but one thing is pretty weak in Jadeja’s number, and it’s his bowling. With going four proper bowling option, you cannot control the opposition below 300. Pandya was introduced with the ball in the previous outing, but still, he is not fully fit for bowling due to his last year’s injury. Can Kuldeep Yadav find a way in the final ODI? Or Kohli will have to go ahead with the same XI? You can easily cancel our second statement. Mayank Agarwal couldn’t replicate his Indian T20 League form in Australia, and team management can try Gill at the top. KL Rahul can also open, and Manish Pandey can find himself at number 5. Kohli needs to implement these theories if he wants to avoid a clean sweep here. 

Natarajan can make his international debut in Canberra after a woeful bowling display from Navdeep Saini in the first two matches. This is the right match to pick Natarajan, who can give India a vital option in death along with Bumrah. Too many changes are expected on Wednesday. There have been only two occasions (2012 & 2015) when Team India won the final ODI of any three-match bilateral series after losing the first two ODIs. India has been whitewashed in a three-match ODI series only once in history, and it happened this year in New Zealand. 

Meanwhile, Australia are highly boosted after a consecutive series win against the world’s top-two ODI sides, England and India. Look at the Australian approach, and you will find the slice of the Ponting era. The side bettered its record score of 374 by scoring 389 in the second ODI. What’s the winning story for the Aussies? Men in Yellow get a solid start from openers, Smith takes charge, and Maxwell finishes off in his style. India had no clue to break their steadiness. Sydney was a high-scoring ground, but poor bowling in death, Australia made it a paradise for the batting. Starc’s numbers can surprise Australia, who picked just 12 wickets this year from 11 matches, the poorest form ever for him in a year. 

Pat Cummins has been rested for this fixture, and Short will replace injured Warner. Andrew Tye will be the third seamer for the Aussies in the final ODI. The opening slot would be a big question for Australia, and they would apply it in the T20I series. D'arcy Short can open with Finch, and in other options, Langer can promote Labuschagne up in the order. If Labuschagne opens, Wade will be included to bat in middle-order. Cameron Green can also earn the Australian cap. Stoinis might be back if he is fully fit after facing an injury in the opening ODI. 

Pitch Report 

The Manuka Oval is a batting-friendly wicket. It has produced high-scoring games in the past, and batting first sides have been quite successful here. We might expect a 300 plus score for the fifth time in this series. 

Possible XI 

Australia 

Marnus Labuschagne, Aaron Finch (c), Steve Smith, D’Archy Short/Mathew Wade, Moises Henriques, Alex Carey (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Andrew Tye 

India 

Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli (C), Shreyas Iyer,  KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Navdeep Saini 

Key Players 

Australia 

Steve Smith 

This series – 105 (66), 104 (64) 

Adam Zampa 

Since COVID-break –M: 5, Wickets: 16, Avg: 16.31 

India 

Shikhar Dhawan 

ODIs in Australia – M: 12, Runs: 471, Avg: 39.2 

This series – 74 (86) , 76 (66) 

Virat Kohli 

This series – 21 (21), 89 (87)

RELATED ARTICLES
-spot_img

Most Popular