India vs Australia | India’s Predicted XI for the third ODI in Ranchi
After two close encounters, India must be bracing themselves to win the series when they will take on Australia in the third encounter in Ranchi. The moment India thought they had settled with their combination for the World Cup, Vijay Shankar threw an interesting conundrum with a fine performance.
Openers
Shikhar Dhawan: While the calls to sack Dhawan have grown after his recent failures and Rahul’s brilliant show in the T20 series, it would be unfair on Dhawan to be relegated to the bench now. The southpaw is low on confidence and it just needs a good match for him to regain that lost mojo. He is very important for India’s chances in the World Cup and a long rope will help him and in turn India, which makes him undroppable.
Rohit Sharma: Rohit’s failure in the ODIs lately has had an adverse effect on the team and the pressure is mounting on Virat Kohli to score runs in every match. There is not a technical problem in Rohit’s batting, but it might have something to do with the fact that his template is not working. He starts slow and gradually picks up the pace but in the last few matches, he is being dismissed after being set. The time has come to score runs at the earliest.
Middle-order
Virat Kohli: The march rolls on! How can you explain the phenomenon of Virat Kohli? A sheer genius who is taking the level of batsmanship in the ODI cricket to a different level. Despite not having a lot of support at the other end, the Indian skipper had played to the mind of opposition by rolling back to bring his 40th ODI century.
Ambati Rayudu: The Hyderabad batsman looked underconfident in the first couple of matches and was a far cry from the man who shredded bowling attacks in the IPL last year. India have that habit of pulling off a rat out of the hat in the last moment once the World Cup approaches, and if Rayudu doesn’t perform in the next game, it will add extra pressure on him.
MS Dhoni: Dhoni holds the key to India’s lower-order resistance as it was clear for the last couple of series and his presence helps Kedar Jadhav to be calmer under pressure. Dhoni is a proven customer and in what can possibly be his last international game at his home venue, he will try to make it a memorable affair.
All-rounders
Vijay Shankar: Although India had backed Ambati Rayudu to bat at No. 4 spot during the World Cup, Vijay Shankar played swashbuckling innings to claim that he can be an ideal candidate. His bowling adds to his resume and if India go in the mindset of trying him out in that position, he can’t afford to have a bad day with the bat.
Ravindra Jadeja: It might get interesting that India could probably decide to rest Kedar Jadhav for the game, who is anyway injury-prone and had struggled with a sore hip during the first ODI. Considering the fact that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made a comeback to the squad, he can be used as the second all-rounder to assist Ravindra Jadeja with lower-order batting. Jadeja, who was a livewire on the field and economical as well, just needs to pick more wickets to send Chahal further down in the pecking order.
Spinner
Kuldeep Yadav: The left-arm wrist-spinner conceded runs at 5.54 rpo in the last game, but most importantly, he picked up three wickets in the middle-overs to bring India back in the game. In the absence of Yuzvendra Chahal, he had a big role to play and he did just that by taking the benefit of outrageous turn available.
Pacers
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: After getting a mini-break, Kumar will return to the team in the third ODI and it seems like he may take the role of the third pacer in the team. His presence adds depth to the side in both bowling and batting department which means India can afford to rest Jadhav for the game.
Jasprit Bumrah: An invaluable asset in India’s limited-overs plans, Jasprit Bumrah can proudly thump his chest and say he is the best bowler in the world. Conceding only two runs in the last two overs in the death is of another level, and if that is not the validation of his genius, then nothing is.
Mohammed Shami: The next game will certainly provide a sneak-peak about how much India values Mohammed Shami. No doubt, he is in the form of his life, but with Bhuvneshwar Kumar returning, it will be interesting to see how the trio are operating in tandem. Shami, with the ability to extract reverse swing, will be an asset to the team in hot and humid conditions of Ranchi though.
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