3 things Australia need to do right to defeat India in 3rd ODI
Australia are in a major rut, having lost each of their last five ODIs. The string of losses could not have come at a worse time since the 2023 ODI World Cup is just round the corner. The upcoming third ODI against India will mark the final chance for Pat Cummins and company to make an impression, with the next assignment being the warm-up matches.
All was well for Australia when they took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series against South Africa earlier this month. But things began to crumble as they squandered the near-unassailable lead. To make matters worse, the Aussies have been thoroughly outplayed in India so far, and several of their players look out of touch and injuries mount up a separate concern.
Australia are sorely missing the services of Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, and Glenn Maxwell. The areas filled in by inexperienced players have been exploited by a well-assembled Indian outfit.
Furthermore, Australia have not been able to assert their authority in the subcontinent conditions, which comes across as a huge worry as they will be subjected to similar conditions in the World Cup as well.
A win in the third ODI will not only avoid a humiliating whitewash but also give them some momentum heading into the 2023 ODI World Cup.
On that note, let us take a look at three things Australia needs to do right to defeat India in the third ODI.
#1 Drop Josh Inglis and Matt Short from the playing XI
Injuries have forced Australia to employ some inexperienced names into the playing XI, but the new candidates have not made the most of their chances so far.
The likes of Matthew Short and Josh Inglis have not quite found their stride in 50-over cricket, and Australia really cannot afford time to allow them to find rhythm, since the current priority is the World Cup.
With Travis Head yet to recover, Mitchell Marsh could be considered once again at the top of the order. The all-rounder was magnificent when Australia toured India earlier this year. His presence gives a left-hand-right-hand combination as well.
While Matthew Short presents himself as a part-time spin bowling option, which is crucial since they only have one frontline option in Adam Zampa, the team will have to make a tough call.
Since Australia already have Alex Carey as their first-choice keeper, the decision to bench Josh Inglis for someone like Marcus Stoinis should be quite straightforward.
#2 Convert their starts
Batting has been a real concern for the visitors as they have not been able to replicate India's efforts on flat, subcontinent wickets.
While the visitors posted 276 on the board in the opening ODI, their highest scorer was David Warner with 52 runs. All of the other batters departed after building a start. In contrast, four Indian batters scored half-centuries during the run chase.
A similar pattern followed in the second ODI as well. India piled on the runs on the back of centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill and fifties from KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav. But in the rain-curtailed encounter, only David Warner and Sean Abbott were able to score fifties for the Aussies.
Ideally, Australia would be expecting someone from their top four batters to play a big innings. Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne can control the middle overs with their tempo and the batters around them can stick to the ultra-aggressive approach to make the most of the good batting conditions.
#3 Need to be much better with the new ball
Sean Abbott spoke openly about Australia's bowling woes after their series loss. He admitted that there is a lot of room for improvement, and that arguably is an understatement.
Leaking runs are sort of inevitable on surfaces that have nothing much to offer, and the key becomes claiming wickets at regular intervals and controlling the damage. However, the Aussie bowlers have struggled equally in South Africa and India.
In the ongoing series, the visitors have only taken one wicket in the first 20 overs while the Indian bowlers have been proficient with the new ball. New faces like Spencer Johnson struggled to adapt while all-round options such as Cameron Green and Abbott have also not worked out at all.
Australia will be hoping that their first-choice trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood are able to click and make an impression before the World Cup.
Who will win the third ODI between India and Australia? Let us know what you think.