In the third ODI of the three-match bilateral series, India will take on Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, March 22 at 1:30 PM IST.
Team India will have a lot to consider before the series decider, after being thoroughly destroyed in the second ODI by 10 wickets. India suffered its largest ODI defeat in terms of the number of balls remaining, as Australia triumphed with 39 overs (234 balls) to spare. As a result, the three-match series is currently tied 1-1.
India is quite unlikely to make any significant alterations, but the team management might fiddle around a little. Perhaps Hardik Pandya will be promoted to the top of the batting order, replacing the out-of-form Suryakumar Yadav. The form collapse of the SKY is a major worry for the Indian team. Even yet, Rohit Sharma, the captain, maintained that the right-handed batter would get more outings without Shreyas Iyer, the customary No. 4 batsman. Surya had consecutive first-ball noughts in the first two ODI matches. The bowling department who were at their prowess in the first ODI also took a beating on Sunday. Before heading into the final ODI, Rohit and co. will dig deep into their plans to outplay the in-form Aussies.
Talking about visitors, David Warner, who was sidelined after the Test series due to an elbow injury, was also benched in the first two ODIs. Making the most out of his opportunity, Mitchell Marsh stepped up, scoring 81 at Wankhede and 66 unbeaten at Vishakhapatnam. After struggling in the first ODI, Travid Head came back with an unbeaten 30-ball 51 in the subsequent match. Amidst a quality performance by the opening pair, the veteran Mitchell Starc spewed venom in both games and toppled the Indian top order without breaking a sweat. A similar display by Starc could guide the Aussies in repeating their 2019 ODI bilateral series glory. Steve Smith, who is filling in for Pat Cummins, has done tremendously well since he donned the captaincy hat in this series. A victory in the third ODI could end the tour on a higher note for Australia before they leave the subcontinent.
Head-to-head:
Out of a total of 145Â matches, Australia have an advantage over the hosts in the head-to-head matchup with 81 wins and 54 losses.
Where-to-watch:
TV: Star Sports
OTT: Disney+ Hotstar