Sydney, Oct 24 (IANS) India will look to avoid a clean sweep defeat when they take the field for the third and final ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. With the hosts sealing the series 2-0 through a narrow two-wicket win in Adelaide, it becomes important for India to get a consolation victory.

With just a day’s gap, there isn’t much time for India to regroup and avoid being clean-swept for the first time since their 2022 tour of South Africa. Rohit Sharma’s gritty 73 and Shreyas Iyer’s calm 61 offered some resistance, but concerns remain around Virat Kohli’s form, who registered consecutive ducks for the first time in his ODI career.

With both veterans potentially playing their final match on Australian soil, India will hope for the batting stalwarts to sign off from the ODI leg of the trip on a high. Having fielded an unchanged eleven in the first two games, India may consider changes for the Sydney clash.

Young left-handed opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and lanky fast bowler Prasidh Krishna are all waiting in the wings and could offer fresh energy to a side that has looked unbalanced in the absence of seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

The top-ranked ODI side has now lost back-to-back matches after an eight-game winning streak, and newly-appointed captain Shubman Gill faces selection challenges as he begins shaping his preferred lineup.

Gill also hasn’t been able to set the stage alight with the bat and India will be expecting big runs from his willow. India’s last ODI win at the SCG came in 2016, and with Australia winning the last three encounters at the venue, they have a task on their hands to get the victory.

Australia, meanwhile, will be bolstered by the return of first-choice wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, who has recovered from a calf strain. Marnus Labuschagne has exited the squad to rejoin Queensland for the Sheffield Shield, while left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and all-rounder Jack Edwards have been added for the final ODI.

Adam Zampa and Alex Carey returned in Adelaide, and the former was the difference between the two teams with his four-fer. Pacer Xavier Bartlett could retain his spot after claiming three wickets, including the key dismissals of Gill and Kohli, in Adelaide. With momentum on their side, Australia will aim to complete a clean sweep and extend their dominance at home.

When: Saturday, October 25, 9:00 AM IST

Where: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney

Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming

Squads

India: Shubman Gill (captain), 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, and Prasidh Krishna.

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (captain), 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, and Adam Zampa.

-–IANS

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