India vs Australia 3rd ODI: A rare opportunity for India to whitewash depleted Australian unit in Rajkot

India has secured victory in the three-match ODI series and checked most of the boxes leading up to the all-important and much-awaited World Cup. However, now the responsibility shifts to the regular captain, Rohit Sharma, to seize the opportunity for a clean sweep. It’s not an everyday occurrence to have a chance to whitewash Australia in any format, and this is a significant moment. Following matches in Mohali and Indore, the action now moves to the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot for the third and final One-Day International. This match marks the last competitive encounter for these two nations before the marquee event.

Team News for India:

In this match, Shubman Gill, Shardul Thakur, Hardik Pandya, and Mohammad Shami have been given a rest, while Axar Patel remains out of the squad due to a left quadriceps strain. KL Rahul resumes his role as vice-captain, with Rohit Sharma returning to the side after being rested for the first two ODIs. The returnees also include Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, and Jasprit Bumrah, who rejoins the squad after missing the Indore ODI for family reasons. Mukesh Kumar has been released from the squad to accommodate Bumrah.

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The opening pair will consist of Rohit and Ishan Kishan, with Kohli batting at number three. Shreyas Iyer, Rahul, and the in-form Suryakumar Yadav will anchor the middle order. The spin department boasts Kuldeep, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja, but it appears that Jadeja may be rested, allowing Ashwin and Kuldeep to feature in the XI. Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna are the likely pace-bowling trio for the final ODI.

Team News for Australia:

The Australian team, despite experimenting with various combinations, faces the challenge of breaking a five-match losing streak to avoid a series whitewash. Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc have not been in action, with Maxwell away for the birth of his first child and Starc working on regaining full fitness after not being at his best. Maxwell was present during the second game, while Starc has been gradually building up his bowling workload in the nets in preparation for the third and final match of the series.

India vs Australia 3rd ODI: Probable Playing XIs

India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Australia (probable): 1 Mitchell Marsh, 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Alex Carey (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

India vs Australia 3rd ODI: Pitch Report

The Rajkot pitch is often compared to a flat highway – in the three ODIs the venue has hosted to date, there have been four 300-plus totals.

Last time both teams faced each other at this Venue.

The last ODI here was in 2020, when India, batting first, posted 340 for 6. In response, Australia were all out for 304. The weather for Wednesday is expected to be partly cloudy, but there is no forecast for rain.