IND vs AUS 2023: 3 player battles to watch out for in third ODI
While India have already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series against Australia, the third game in Rajkot holds some significance. Big names like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have returned to the squad after being rested for the first two games and would like to get a good game under their belt before the World Cup.
Australia, on the other hand, are likely to have their pace spearhead Mitchell Starc back into the team and the trio of him, Josh Hazlewood and captain Pat Cummins could feature together for the first time in quite a while in ODIs. Both teams will certainly have some key areas to focus on before they head to the World Cup warm-up games.
On that note, let's take a look at three match-ups that could make the third ODI quite interesting:
#3 David Warner vs Mohammed Siraj
The injury to Travis Head has ruled him out for at least the first few games of the World Cup and that makes David Warner's role at the top of the order even more crucial. Australia need him to keep firing on all cylinders and India will want to try and stop him from getting a big knock under his belt going into the World Cup.
Mohammed Siraj has had the wood over Warner in Tests, dismissing him thrice, but the southpaw has scored 64 runs off just 37 balls from the pacer in T20 cricket. The duo haven't yet faced each other in ODIs and that uncertainty makes this an intriguing battle to look forward to.
#2 Rohit Sharma vs Mitchell Starc
Indian captain Rohit Sharma's woes with left-arm pacers of late have been well documented and naturally, his face-off against Mitchell Starc could have many hooked to their TV sets. Rohit has scored 113 runs at a strike rate of 100 against Starc in ODIs but has also been dismissed thrice.
Starc is coming off an injury lay-off and would want to bowl full throttle before the World Cup. It remains to be seen if he can get into his groove straightaway and trouble the star opener or does the latter gets India off to yet another flying start.
#1 Virat Kohli vs Adam Zampa
Whenever India and Australia have faced off in the past few years in ODIs, the battle between Virat Kohli and Adam Zampa has been one of the most talked about. The duo have come up against each other quite a few times and both may feel that they have had an upper hand.
Kohli has scored 230 runs off 209 balls faced from Zampa in ODIs. However, the leg-spinner has dismissed the star batter five times in the format. The pitch in Rajkot may not offer Zampa much turn, but the fact that he has dismissed Kohli five times could end up being a confidence booster for him.