India Vs Australia 3rd ODI Predicted Playing 11: Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli Return, Glenn Maxwell And Pat Cummins To Turn Out For Aussies

Regular skipper Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli will be back for the third and final ODI between India and Australia in Rajkot on Wednesday.

Virat Kohli at a practice session in Rajkot on Tuesday. (Source: Twitter)

The third and final ODI in the three-match series between India and Australia will be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday. India have already won the series have an unassailable 2-0 lead over Pat Cummins-led Australia.

However, there is still a lot at stake for skipper Rohit Sharma’s side. A 3-0 whitewash for India will mean that they will enter the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 starting next month as the world No. 1 ODI side.

To ensure a whitewash, Team India are likely to field their best-possible playing 11 with the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah returning to the side. Rohit will return to the opening position while Ishan Kishan will replace Shubman Gill as the opener, as the latter has been rested for the 3rd ODI along with Shardul Thakur.

Mohammed Shami, who picked up a five-wicket haul in the first ODI in Mohali, has also been rested which means Jasprit Bumrah will be partnering Asia Cup 2023 Final hero Mohammed Siraj with the new ball.

Ravichandran Ashwin is expected to retain his position as well with Kuldeep Yadav making his first appearance in the series.

For Australia, Cummins is expected to return for the third ODI after missing the second one. All-rounder Glenn Maxwell could make his first appearance of the tour, although he hasn’t played any competitive cricket since July. Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc will also make his first appearance in the series, replacing Sean Abbott while Mitchell Marsh is expected to play ahead of Cameron Green in the lineup.

The Australians have lost five ODIs in a row now and will be looking to snap this losing streak ahead of the Cricket World Cup 2023 opener against India on October 8 in Chennai.

#TeamIndia Captain @ImRo45 reflects on the team's performances in the past few ODIs and the learnings from them.#INDvAUS @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/3F5H8WTzJq — BCCI (@BCCI) September 26, 2023

India Vs Australia 3rd ODI Predicted Playing 11

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah

Australia: Mitchell Marsh, David Warner, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood