India are eyeing a win in the final One‑Day International of the three‑match series against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, hoping to avoid a clean‑sweep loss. Australia already sealed the series 2‑0 with a two‑wicket triumph in Adelaide, so the Indians have one match left to finish the tour on a positive note.
The gap between the last game in Adelaide and the Sydney clash is only one day, giving India very little time to regroup. Rohit Sharma’s hard‑fought 73 and Shreyas Iyer’s steady 61 protected their side from a complete collapse, but top‑order concerns remain. Virat Kohli was dismissed for a pair of ducks – his first back‑to‑back zeros in ODI play – raising doubts about his form.
With both Rohit and Kohli likely to play their final matches on Australian soil, India hopes their veteran batsmen will finish the ODI leg of the tour on a high. The team has been consistent, fielding an unchanged eleven in the first two games, but the selectors may look to freshen the lineup for Sydney. Young left‑hander Yashasvi Jaiswal, leg‑spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and the tall fast bowler Prasidh Krishna are on standby and could bring new energy to a side that has felt unbalanced without all‑rounder Hardik Pandya on the field.
India’s top‑ranked ODI side has lost its first back‑to‑back matches after an eight‑game winning streak. Newly‑appointed captain Shubman Gill faces selection decisions as he fine‑tunes the squad. He also needs to hit big scores with the bat to help the team. India’s last ODI win at the SCG dates back to 2016, and Australia has won the last three encounters at the venue, making the task tough.
Australia, on the other hand, reinforced their squad with the return of first‑choice wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, who recovered from a calf strain. Marnus Labuschagne left the lineup to play the Sheffield Shield, while left‑arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and all‑rounder Jack Edwards joined for the final ODI. After a dominant performance that included a four‑wicket haul by Adam Zampa and a three‑wicket spell by Xavier Bartlett in Adelaide, Australia will look to finish the series cleanly and extend their dominance at home.
Match details
When: Saturday, October 25, 9:00 AM IST
Where: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Watch: Star Sports Network (TV) or JioHotstar (stream)
India squad: Shubman Gill (c), 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 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.
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Source: ianslive
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