2 things to watch out for in the 3rd ODI between India and Australia
India will take on Australia in the third and final ODI of their three-match series in Chennai on Wednesday. India won the first match of the series in Mumbai, but the visitors came back strongly to inflict India’s heaviest-ever defeat in ODIs in Visakhapatnam.
The focus now is entirely on Chennai as both teams will fancy their chances of sealing the series with a victory.
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On that note, here are two things to watch out for in the final ODI:
#1 Mitchell Starc’s exceptional swing bowling might do the trick again for Australia
Mitchell Starc has been a standout performer for Australia in the last two matches and has taken eight wickets in the series so far, including a five-wicket haul in Visakhapatnam. He has swung the new ball at great pace and trapped a few top-order batters LBW.
He also showed his intelligence by altering his length in the second ODI to bowl somewhat shorter after allowing the batters to drive on a hard pitch in the first couple of overs. At his pace, any delivery that swings can potentially catch the batters off-guard and India should be wary of that.
Moreover, the visitors have a lot of other seaming options to help Starc. Both Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis have impressed with their nagging line and Cameron Green has also swung the ball occasionally. Green’s height allows him to generate bounce off the surface and adds another dimension to Australia’s attack. Marcus Stoinis also presents yet another seam-bowling option for the visitors.
Hence, Australia will probably opt for an unchanged XI in Chennai, with Ellis once again preferred over Glenn Maxwell. The visitors are likely to play to their strength, which is pace bowling.
#2 India might make a change to their top order
India’s top order has faltered in two successive matches and it was the partnership between KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja that saved them in the first match in Mumbai. Hence, the team management might consider replacing Suryakumar Yadav with Ishan Kishan, as the former has failed in both matches so far.
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Kishan’s presence might also pose a challenge to the Australians, as he is a southpaw and might force the bowlers to change their line. Should Kishan play, it will be interesting to see whether he dons the wicketkeeper’s gloves, with Rahul also in the side.
It also remains to be seen whether the home side will go into the final ODI with three spinners. The pitch might not be as hard as the one in the second ODI and hence, the bowling unit might remain unchanged. Axar Patel’s batting ability means that he is undroppable at the moment and the same is true for Jadeja.
The only change India might make is opting for an extra pacer in place of Kuldeep Yadav. However, if the conditions are not very pacer-friendly, Kuldeep should play in Chennai.