In what came as a massive development pertaining to the ongoing white-ball series between India and Australia, star batter Shubman Gill and right-arm pacer Shardul Thakur will not play any part in the 3rd and final match of the series in Rajkot. According to a report in The Indian Express, Gill and Thakur will not travel with the team to Rajkot and will re-join the squad in Guwahati where the Men in Blue are scheduled to begin their ODI World Cup journey. The duo has been rested for the final match and there are no fitness concerns whatsoever.
Gill and Shardul were part of the previous two ODIs of the series and the former had been piling runs at a frantic pace. Gill scored a fantastic century in Indore after stroking an elegant half-century in Mohali. The right-handed batter has been in sensational form in 2023, scoring more than 1,200 ODI runs in 20 innings, including five tons and a double century.
Meanwhile, just an hour before the start of the second ODI between India and Australia in Indore, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah won't play any part in the game. In a tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, the BCCI said that Bumrah didn't travel to Indore with the team and has gone to visit his family. As a replacement, right-arm medium pacer Mukesh Kumar was roped into the Indian squad for the second game against the Baggy Greens.
Furthermore, the Indian cricket board revealed that Bumrah will rejoin the Indian team for the third and final ODI of the series, scheduled to be played on September 27 (Wednesday) in Rajkot.
It would be interesting to see what India's combination in the third and final ODI against Australia will be as it is going to be the final ODI match for the Men in Blue before the World Cup. India will look to play their strongest XI, especially with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav set to return for the match in Rajkot.
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