Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan lavished praise on Axar Patel after the spinner picked up Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh's wicket during the third ODI at Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney. Marsh, who played an unbeaten match, winning a 47-run knock against India, got out after scoring 41 runs in the third ODI.
Irfan Pathan for Axar Patel
Axar, who came to bowl after the power play, clean bowled Mitchell Marsh on a slider during the first ball of the 16th over. Irfan Pathan, who was a part of India's Champions Trophy 2003 winning squad, lauded Axar for his all-round performance, calling him an invaluable asset for Team India.
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"Axar Patel gets the big fish! 👏 His improved bowling variations have kept him under 5 runs an over consistently. Add his handy batting, and he’s become an invaluable asset for Team India lately," posted Irfan Pathan.
India vs Australia 3rd ODI
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and opted to bat in the third ODI. The hosts featured with one change in the last ODI, with Nathan Ellis in place of Xavier Bartlett. On the other hand, India also featured with two changes with Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna coming into the playing XI in place of Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Notably, Reddy, who made his ODI debut in the same series against Australia, has missed out on the third ODI because he sustained a left quadriceps injury during the second ODI in Adelaide.
India vs Australia Playing XI for third ODI
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Australia (Playing XI): Mitchell Marsh(c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey(w), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Nathan Ellis, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.