New Delhi, Oct 24 (IANS) With the Men in Blue gearing up to face Australia in the third and final ODI of the series, Aakash Chopra has shared his thoughts on the team’s combination and suggested a change that could help them avoid a rare series white-wash at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday.

The Shubman Gill-led side suffered consecutive defeats in the first and second ODIs as Australia clinched a series win with one game to spare. Chopra vouched for Kuldeep Yadav and said that the spinner is likely to play the Sydney contest, calling the venue a ‘slightly spin-friendly surface’.

“Kuldeep likely to play at Sydney. Perhaps, a slightly spin-friendly surface…could easily come in for a pacer. Given the batting performance in the first 2 ODIs, I’m not expecting the team to drop a batter for a bowler. Very unlikely,” Chopra wrote on X.

Former India cricketer also opined that modern-day white-ball cricket requires a cricketer to bring in batting ability at No. 8. He stated that the team gets into trouble if they go ahead with seven batters, especially when the side’s mainstream batters are out of form.

Calling for India to deploy an extra batter to take care of things down the order, Chopra added, “It’s all fine to say if 7 batters aren’t enough, 8 won’t make a difference too. But let’s be honest – modern day white-ball cricket demands some sort of batting ability at 8. It becomes even more difficult to field only 7 batters if the batting form of many is a concern plus if the pitches are more bowler-friendly!! Unpopular opinion…I know. But that’s exactly how India’s recent white-ball success is achieved.”

After losing the rain-marred ODI series opener in Perth by seven wickets, India suffered another heartbreak in Adelaide on Thursday. While senior pro Rohit Sharma redeemed himself with a powerful knock in the second game, veteran Virat Kohli recorded a second consecutive duck, raising concerns about his form.

It’ll be interesting to see how the Men in Blue prepare for the final game and what strategies they deploy to avoid a whitewash.

— IANS

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