IND vs AUS 3rd Match Prediction

IND vs AUS Team Previews

India

India has been in excellent form over the last couple of months. After winning the Asia Cup for a record 8th time, they have now defeated the Australians, that too with some of the senior players sitting out during the first two ODIs.

As this will be the last international fixture before the World Cup begins, we are likely to see the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya back in the playing eleven. With most of the players performing well, the team management will have to make a few difficult decisions regarding which players to leave out.

Shardul Tahkur and Shubman Gill have been rested for this final ODI. In the case of Shardul Thakur, it might just be the management feels he has been given enough chances and is now exploring a change in the squad.

Ravichandran Ashwin was the best bowler for India in the last match, once again making a strong case for his inclusion in the World Cup squad. Shreyas Iyer, who had been struggling with his form due to an injury scored a brilliant century to announce his comeback and will likely keep his spot.

Suryakumar Yadav has hit form at just the right time and adds an 'X' factor to the ODI team that makes him almost impossible to leave out.

Overall, the hosts are in good shape at the moment and will look to build upon their good form. In fact, if anything the Indian team might be the strongest for this match and will give an indication of what the final balance of the team will be come the World Cup.

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Australia

Unlike India, the Australians will be pretty worried with the way things have panned out for them recently as they have lost 5 consecutive matches and two series.

Despite having some quality players, Australia has struggled to find the right combination and that will be a concern for the team management. David Warner seems to be peaking in form just at the right time and has scored half-centuries in both matches so far. He is likely to open the batting with Mitchell Marsh.

The middle order consists of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Both of them have got good starts but will need to convert them into a big inning. Matthew Short was given a couple of chances but he hasn’t been able to shine. He will likely be replaced by Glenn Maxwell for this fixture.

That adds dunamism to the Australian middle-order and also brings a spin-bowling option in the middle overs. With Cameron Green struggling to find his best form with either ball or bat, the role of Maxwell becomes all the more important.

The bowlers have struggled to perform too. Spencer Johnson made his ODI debut in the last match and was wicketless. He may be replaced by Mitchell Starc. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Sean Abbott are likely to retain their spots, while Adam Zampa will be the lone full-time spinner. 

Just like India, Australia will be at its strongest for this match as well. <br />