India and Australia will lock horns in the third and decider ODI on March 22 (Wednesday) at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The hosts won the first game of the series by five wickets in Mumbai while the Baggy Greens trounced the Men in Blue in the second ODI by 10 wickets in Visakhapatnam. With the series tied at 1-1, both teams would be under pressure to put their best foot forward and select the best possible playing XI that can orchestrate a win.
India's batting order has struggled immensely against the Australian bowling attack led by Mitchell Starc. With the previous two ODIs offering enough assistance to fast bowlers, India's famed batting line-up crumbled like a pack of cards. The Men in Blue batters have underperformed in the white-ball series so far but it is unlikely that Rohit Sharma and the Indian team management would make any changes to the playing XI for the 3rd ODI.
India's bowling attack is likely to remain unchanged as well. Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami will take the new ball while Hardik Pandya will chip in as the third seamer. In the spin department, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav are likely to keep their place in the XI as well.
Talking about the Australian side, the Baggy Greens are also likely to remain unchanged. Having said that, it would be interesting to see if swashbuckling batter David Warner finds a place in the playing XI. In his absence, Mitchell Marsh has done a tremendous job with the bat, scoring quick-fire half-centuries in the opening two matches of the series. Also, Glenn Maxwell missed the last game and his replacement Nathan Ellis bowled a terrific spell. It would be interesting to see if the Aussie think tank brings Maxwell back into the side at the expense of the in-form pacer.
India likely playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami
Australia likely playing XI: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
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