After going down in the first two ODIs by seven and two wickets respectively, Shubman Gill-led Indian cricket team is back on the field, taking on hosts Australia in the third and final ODI, underway at
the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney on Saturday, October 25. However, the match is just a dead rubber with the hosts already claiming the series, the Men in Blue will however hope to put up a fight and end the series on a high.
As the two skippers took the field, Mitchell Marsh once again returned victorious, winning the toss and electing to bat first. “We are gonna bat first. Seems like a really nice wicket. It's going to be a beautiful day here at the SCG. The way the young guys stoop up towards the back end, it's great signs for our team,” Marsh said. With another toss loss, the Indian side have now lost 18 straight tosses in ODIs.
Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna replace Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh in India XI
With his third consecutive toss loss since being named the ODI skipper, Shubman Gill seemed happy for the decision as he confirmed that India would have anyway bowled first. Gill also confirmed two changes in the lineup which saw Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh make way for Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.
Notably, just minutes after the toss, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared an update on Nitish Kumar Reddy, which read, “Nitish Kumar R eddy sustained a left quadriceps injury during the second ODI in Adelaide and was subsequently unavailable for selection for the third ODI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring him on a daily basis.”
Australia vs India 3rd ODI Playing XI
Australia: Mitchell Marsh(c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey(w), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Nathan Ellis, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
