India Eye Pride-Saving Win in Sydney to Avoid Whitewash Against Australia

Sports News: India is on the verge of facing a whitewash in an ODI series for the first time since the 2022 South Africa tour after losing by two wickets in Adelaide. As the world number-1 team, the Indian team, which has suffered two consecutive defeats after winning eight matches, would like to end the tour on a good note. Stand-in captain Shubman Gill has to take important decisions in the selection, especially after a short break of one day. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli might be playing their last ODI in Australia.

Main issues and strategy

India's challenges: Virat Kohli's bad form—two consecutive ducks for the first time in his career. Rohit (73) and Shreyas Iyer (61) struggled in Adelaide. The team looked unbalanced due to the lack of a seam-bowling all-rounder like Hardik Pandya.

The biggest question: Will left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav be given a chance or not? There is talk of including Kuldeep, who was on the bench in the first two matches, on the spin-friendly pitch of Sydney. Former cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that Kuldeep can replace the pacer; there is less possibility of dropping the batsman. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep, and Prasidh Krishna are contenders for change. Kuldeep's arrival can give a tactical and morale boost to the team.

Australia's strategy: Looking for a 3-0 win at home. Strengthened by the return of wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, but Marnus Labuschagne is out of the team. Matthew Kuneman (left-arm spinner) and Jack Edwards (all-rounder) are the new faces. Adam Zampa (4 wickets, player of the match) and pacer Xavier Bartlett (Gil-Kohli out) are important in Adelaide. Australia will prefer the chase, as the pitch will be better under lights. Both teams will adopt an aggressive approach.

Weather update

The weather in Sydney is fantastic: from 17°C in the morning to 25°C during the day. There is no possibility of rain.

Probable playing eleven

Australia: Travis Head, Mitch Marsh (c), Matt Short, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Mitch Owen, Mitchell Starc/Jack Edwards, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.

India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy/Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar/Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana/Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.

Squad

India: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kunneman, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matt Renshaw, Matt Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.

Key players and expert opinions

India's stars: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav.
Australia's stars: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Travis Head, Adam Zampa, Xavier Bartlett, and Josh Hazlewood.
Aakash Chopra: "Kuldeep can play in Sydney. Spin-friendly pitch... can replace the pacer. If the batting is good, we will not drop the batsman."

Live Broadcast: Star Sports Network (TV), Jio Hotstar (Streaming). Tossing and playing eleven before the match.