India will look to avoid a clean sweep when they take on Australia in the third and final ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. (BCCI photo) NEW DELHI: India will look to avoid a clean sweep when they take on Australia in the third and final ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. After losing the second ODI in Adelaide by two wickets, the visitors are 0-2 down in the three-match series and will be keen to end the tour on a high.With just a day’s break between games, India have little time to regroup and must find answers quickly to prevent their first ODI series since the 2022 tour of South Africa from fading.Rohit Sharma’s fighting 73 and Shreyas Iyer’s composed 61 offered resistance in Adelaide, but the spotlight remains on Virat Kohli’s rare dip in form – registering back-to-back ducks for the first time in his ODI career. Both the senior batsmen, who may feature in their last ODI on Australian soil, will be hoping to finish the series on a high.
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However, the biggest point ahead of the Sydney ODI is whether Kuldeep Yadav will finally get a game. He shot with his left arm in the first two games, although Australia’s Adam Zampa turned his side around to victory in Adelaide with four goals and a man of the match award.Former cricketer Aakash Chopra believes it is time for India to bring Kuldeep into the XI given Sydney’s reputation for helping the spin.“Kuldeep likely to play in Sydney. Maybe a slightly spin friendly surface…could easily come to the pacer. Given the batting performance in the first two ODIs, I don’t expect the team to drop the batting for the bowlers. Very unlikely,” wrote Chopra on X.India’s line-up looked slightly unbalanced without an all-rounder like Hardik Pandya. Players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna are waiting in the wings and several changes are expected for the final game.India, the highest-ranked ODI side, have now lost two matches in a row after an eight-match winning streak. Stand-in captain Shubman Gill faces a crucial selection test – and giving Kuldeep a chance could be both a tactical and psychological boost.Meanwhile, Australia will be boosted by the return of goalkeeper Josh Inglis, while Marnus Labuschagne has left the squad. Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and all-rounder Jack Edwards were added for the Sydney match. Zampa and pacer Xavier Bartlett, who dismissed Gill and Kohli in Adelaide, will again be key as Australia go for a 3-0 draw at home.
IND vs AUS 3rd ODI Live Streaming
When: Saturday, October 25Time: 9:00 AM ISTWhere: Sydney Cricket Ground, SydneyWhere to watch: Star Sports Network for Live TV and JioHotstar for Live Streaming
IND vs AUS 3rd ODI Weather Update
The weather forecast for Saturday looks ideal for cricket in Sydney according to Accuweather. Temperatures should range from a pleasant 17°C in the morning to a pleasant 25°C during the day. With the pitch set to improve under the lights, both teams are likely to prefer chasing a result rather than taking a cautious approach.
IND vs AUS 3rd ODI – Predicted XI
AUSTRALIA Predicted XI: Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (c), Matt Short, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Mitch Owen, Mitchell Starc/Jack Edwards, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Josh HazlewoodINDIA predicted XI. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy/Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar/Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana/Prasidh Krishna, Mohammad Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
IND vs AUS teams
India: Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv. Jurel (week), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.Australia: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa.
