India vs Australia – Third ODI Preview: India’s series hopes hang in balance as teams meet in MCG

ByArun S Kaimal,SportsCafe Editor

01/16/2016

Rohit Sharma’s brilliance and 300+ scores are the only positives in the series for a lacklustre Indian side as they head to the Melbourne Cricket Ground to take on the hosts, who are in a cruise mode, in the third ODI of the five-match series on Sunday in the hope of keeping the series alive.

After losing the first two ODIs in a similar fashion, the Men in Blue only have themselves to blame for trailing 0-2 in the series. India continues to repeat the same mistakes again and again which made them lose the away series against Bangladesh and the home series against South Africa. The away side’s batting looks formidable with Rohit Sharma firing all guns blazing in the first two ODIs. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane also seem to be in good nick after their good run in the series.

But it is the bowling department, which will bring big headaches for the skipper before the third ODI. India’s bowlers have only taken in the series so far, and most of them are conceding above six per over. With the captain adamant on playing the three pacers – two spinner combination, the result at Melbourne is unlikely to see any difference. The form of the spinners – Ashwin and Jadeja will be the other concern of the captain. The bankable duo has been below par in this series, and unless they produce a formidable performance, India will need scores above 350 to save them from their misery.

India has played 13 matches against the hosts at the MCG, winning five and facing defeat in eight. Like the first two ODIs at the WACA and the Gabba, the pitch at Melbourne is also likely to throw up a batting-friendly track. The last match at MCG was the second Test between Australia and West Indies, and it produced four centuries for the host side before they registered a 177-run victory. The famous ground will also bring good memories to the Australians, with them lifting the 2015 ICC World Cup after defeating New Zealand at the same venue.

Team News

Australia is in cruise mode in the series even after losing a plethora of stars to injuries and retirement. The hosts even rested David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Josh Hazlewood for the second ODI at Brisbane before thumping the Indians. Warner and Hazlewood will continue their absence for the third ODI, but Mitchell Marsh is set to come back into the side in place of John Hastings.

On the other hand, India is unlikely to make any changes to their side even after suffering two consecutive defeats. Opener Shikhar Dhawan’s form will be under the scanner, but it will be a surprise if the skipper drops the opener with only Gurkeerat Mann on the bench.

India XI (likely): Dhawan, Rohit, Kohli, Rahane, Dhoni (c), Manish Pandey, Jadeja, Ashwin, Umesh, Ishant, Sran

Australia XI (likely): Shaun Marsh, Finch, Smith (c), Bailey, Maxwell, Hastings, Wade (wk), Faulkner, Paris, Boland, Kane Richardson

Match timings: 8.50 am IST, 11.20 am Local

TV listings: Star Sports 1, HD 1 (English), Star Sports 3, HD3 (Hindi)

Live Streaming: Hotstar.com

(Read: Another day, Same problems: Why India lost the second ODI against Australia)