IND vs AUS 3rd ODI: Who is the best in India and Australia? Judgment day today
The series was expected to be exciting from the start but the way Australia won the first match unilaterally, it seemed a one-time affair that they would be able to win their second consecutive series in India.
Bengaluru
If the final match of the series between the two best cricket teams in the world on Sunday is called the climax of the adventure then it would probably be an exaggeration. The kind of cricket that has been seen in the last two matches has elevated the level of these two teams and has also proved that there is not much difference between the two teams and any team can hoist victory any day. The way Australia washed India by 10 wickets in the first match played in Mumbai, they raised questions on the hosts.
This is a headache for Virat
The team captained by Virat Kohli showed patience and returned to Rajkot to make the series 1-1. Now the third and final ODI of the series is to be played in M. Chinnaswamy which is decisive and very important for both these teams. To say that one team has an upper hand is a mistake. Of course India is playing at home but Australia has given them a tough challenge. In the second match too, the Australian batsman played well but it was a headache for him to score more runs on the scoreboard.
This is also tension
Indian batting did not go on in the first match but in the second match this batting order touched the figure of 340 runs. Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Lokesh Rahul played fine innings while Rohit Sharma missed the half-century. Only problem was Shreyas Iyer and Manish Pandey fail once again. Rahul came in at number five to save India from the habit of collapsing at the end of the middle-order, repeating itself in Rajkot.
India may be forced to change
In Bengaluru, India may be forced to make some changes. Dhawan was hit in the ribs during the batting and that is why he did not come out to bowl. Rohit was also injured during fielding. There is no clear news about the injuries of these two, so the possibility of change in the Indian team cannot be ruled out. If either one of Dhawan and Rohit is out, then Rahul can be seen as an opener. Here again, concerns about middle order may increase.
Challenge in front of team india
Rishabh Pant did not play in the last match due to injury and there is no possibility of his return in this match. If Rahul goes up, the responsibility of the middle order will once again be on Pant, Iyer and Pandey. What these three do, how successful they are will be clear on match day itself. The Indian bowlers in Mumbai were not successful in taking wickets, but in Rajkot they defended a huge target. But one thing to be noted is that Australia still crossed the 300 mark. In such a situation, Kohli will have to think how to stop Australia on low score.
Australia is not weak
If Australia is concerned then its main concern will be bowling which allowed the Indian batsmen to reach the score of 340 runs. Finch hinted to include Josh Hazlewood in the squad before the second match but he did not play in Rajkot. Now that Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc failed in the second match, it is expected that Hazlewood is given a chance. The team will not be too worried in batting. Finch and middle-order of the team have the power to score big, it is also known by Finch and Kohli.
The teams
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaspreet Bumra and Navdeep Saini.
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch (captain), Marnus Labushane, Steve Smith, Ashton Turner, Alex Carrie (wicketkeeper), Ashton Egger, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa.
