India vs Australia 2020: India's ideal XI for the 3rd ODI
India will be riding high on confidence after they comprehensively defeated the Australian team in the second ODI and leveled the 3-match series 1-1.
The Indian side suffered an demoralizing 10-wicket loss in the first ODI but they left the scars of that match behind and made an emphatic comeback. Now, both the teams will face off in the finale this Sunday at Bengaluru.
Generally, the pitch at the Chinnaswamy stadium has been batsman-friendly, so we can expect a run-fest on Sunday. This is the same venue where Rohit Sharma recorded his first ODI 200 in 2013, against Australia.
Rishabh Pant's availability for the match is still unknown. If he is fit and ready to go then the management might replace Manish Pandey with Pant and relieve KL Rahul from wicket-keeping duties. If Pant is not available then Rahul will continue in the wicket-keeper role.
On the batting front, seasoned openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan provided India with a decent start in the last match. Dhawan is in good form, having scored two fifties in the two matches of the series, while Rohit seems due for a big knock. Both of them suffered injury scares in the second ODI though, so the team management would be hoping they are in the best shape for the Bengaluru match.
Virat Kohli endured a rare failure in the first ODI where he played at the number 4 position. The skipper then quickly reshuffled the batting order and returned to his patented number 3 position for the second ODI, and went back to his usual run-scoring ways. Kohli controlled the game perfectly in the middle phase and set up a perfect platform for the final assault from Rahul.
Shreyas Iyer will be under pressure to perform after twin failures in the two matches. He will get another chance at the number 4 position, and will be keen to make the best use of it.
After playing a spectacular match-winning innings at No. 5, Rahul will continue to bat at that position in the upcoming match. Manish Pandey will continue as the finisher of the side, assuming Pant is unavailable. Pandey will look to play a substantial innings as he got out cheaply during the last match.
On the bowling front, the team management is not expected to make any changes as all the bowlers played their roles perfectly in the second ODI. Jasprit Bumrah's return to form augurs well for the rest of the bowling attack as he is the de facto leader of the unit.
Yuzvendra Chahal's name might come up for discussion but the skipper might persist with the same winning combination for the series decider.
Ideal XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Manish Pandey / Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini