India vs Australia 2019 | India’s predicted XI for third ODI in Melbourne

01/17/2019

After levelling the ODI series with a six-wicket win in Adelaide, the Indian team will go into the third and final game keeping a series win in mind. The Indian team might still want to make a few changes in their playing XI to get a settled combination ahead of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Openers

Shikhar Dhawan

After a sensational batting performance in the T20I series, Shikhar Dhawan didn’t perform that well in the first two ODIs with scores of 0 and 32 in Sydney and Adelaide respectively. Although he returned without troubling the scorers in the first game, Dhawan had an aggressive start in Adelaide despite not being able to capitalize on that and got out while trying to score quick runs in the chase.

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma becomes a completely different batsman in white ball cricket and the first two ODIs are the best examples of that. He failed to take the team to a victory in the first game in spite of a century while in the second ODI, he gave India a very good start. Unlike most of his innings, Sharma got out for 43 after getting set. The Indian team management will want the top-order to amass as many runs as possible to provide India a good start in the final ODI.

Middle-order

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli getting out for a single-digit score in Sydney, that too in a run-chase, was a big heartbreak for the Indian cricket fans. The skipper, however, didn’t disappoint the team and his fans in Adelaide as he scored 104 runs at his regular No. 3 position to take India to a victory. It was his match-winning ton that helped India to level the series and take it to the decider at the MCG.

Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu has more or less solved Kohli’s confusion regarding the No. 4 position in ODIs after getting a hundred and a fifty in the series against the Windies back home. But, the 33-year-old batsman from Hyderabad is having a terrible outing in Australia. He got out for a duck in the first game and also got reported for a suspect bowling action. He stood for 36 balls in the second game and scored 24 runs. His 59-run stand with Kohli was crucial but not impressive enough from the India No.4.

Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik has got a new role of being the finisher for the Indian team and he will come out to bat below MS Dhoni like the first two games. After a poor show in the first game, the Kolkata Knight Riders captain displayed his skills with a 14-ball 25 in the second ODI to see his team level the series. He is confident on his skills with the bat lower down the order and has got the backing of the team management as he explained himself in the press conference after the Adelaide win.

Wicket-keeper

MS Dhoni

Amidst all the discussions, India went into the ODI series with the very experienced MS Dhoni behind the stumps. He was not a part of the T20I series against the Windies at home and against the Aussies as well, as the selectors wanted to groom someone like Rishabh Pant. The former skipper, however, has scored two fifties in the first two games. Although he had to face criticism for his “slow” knock at the SCG, his half-century in a winning cause has again made it clear that the 37-year-old has still got a lot of cricket left in him.

All-rounder

Ravindra Jadeja

With Hardik Pandya getting suspended by the BCCI for his controversial comments, India have trusted Ravindra Jadeja as the all-rounder. So far in the series, he has done well with the ball and on the field while the only time he batted, he scored eight of 13 in Sydney. He has taken one wicket each in both the games but the Indians would be delighted with his economy rate of less than five in the series so far.

Spinner

Kuldeep Yadav

The team management had to choose between Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal and they went with the left-armer. He was impressive in T20Is and Tests but he hasn’t performed that well in the fifty-over format so far. He got two wickets at the SCG but was expensive in Adelaide. The team management will still persist with the UP bowler considering his ability to pick up wickets at a crucial juncture and the variety as a left-arm wrist spinner for the opposition batsmen.

Pacers

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

After sitting on the bench for the entire duration of the Test series, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is now leading the Indian bowling attack in the ODIs. Although he proved a bit costly in the first ODI in spite of picking up a couple of wickets, his four-wicket haul proved crucial in restricting the Aussies from getting past 300 in the second one. Bhuvi being in form is important for the Indian pace attack and he will form a deadly combination once Jasprit Bumrah is back in the side.

Mohammed Shami

In the absence of Bumrah, who has been rested for the ODIs, Mohammed Shami has done well with the white ball after getting good success in the Test matches. After remaining wicketless in the opening encounter, he scalped three in the second ODI in Adelaide. He forms a good partnership with Bhuvi and will look forward to improve his numbers to book his place as the third seamer in the squad ahead of the World Cup.

Khaleel Ahmed

Rajasthan pacer played as the first choice third pacer in the team in the Sydney ODI as he has the variety being a left-arm pacer. His figures of 0/55 in eight overs meant that Mohammed Siraj got his maiden ODI cap in the very next match. However, the Hyderabad pacer was not able to impress in his first game as well. So if at all, the Indian team want to make any changes to their winning combination, it will be replacing Siraj with Khaleel for the decider to be played at the MCG. He has the ability to swing the ball both ways and it remains to be seen, how effective he is going to prove for the Indians in the last game of the series.

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