Sydney, Oct 25 (IANS) India’s seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was unavailable for selection in the third and final ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday due to a left quadriceps injury sustained during the second match in Adelaide, the BCCI confirmed.

His absence paved the way for left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav to make his first appearance in the ODI series, while left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was replaced by fast bowler Prasidh Krishna.

“Nitish Kumar Reddy 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,” said the BCCI in an official statement.

With the series already decided in Australia’s favour, India’s bowling attack in Sydney is now three pacers and three spin-bowling options. In the second game in Adelaide, which India lost by two wickets, Arshdeep appeared to struggle with cramps during the latter stages of the match and was seen receiving medical attention on the sidelines.

Given that both Nitish and Arshdeep are also in India’s squad for the subsequent five-match T20I series in Australia, the Indian team management may have opted against risking the duo for the series finale. In two matches, Nitish had scores of 19 not out and eight with the bat, while his bowling spells didn’t yield any wicket.

Coming to the game in Sydney, it marked the third straight time India captain Shubman Gill lost the toss. Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh elected to bat for only the second time in his 10 ODIs at the side’s helm. Previously, Cricket Australia (CA) announced that the game in Sydney is a total sell-out, considering it could be the final time batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would play in Australia.

–IANS

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