India v Australia, 3rd ODI- Australia Predicted XI

The ‘once upon a time world dominators’ Australia are reeling in the Asian conditions right now. They might have salvaged a drawn Test series against Bangladesh, but failed to make a mark against the talented blue army led by skipper Virat Kohli. Besides spinning track something which has been a cause of concern for Steve Smith is the excessively hot and humid conditions in India.

Amidst the uncountable problems, Steve Smith’s men will be entering the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday (September 24) to keep the series alive, as one more defeat and Team India’s name will be carved in the winner’s trophy. They have tried all the tricks, but couldn’t trouble the Indian team with the little ammunition they have in the arsenal. While Smith would want to change quite a few things, here is at the predicted XI of the Kangaroos.

Openers (David Warner and Aaron Finch)

Australia is known for their ‘never give up’ attitude, and while India will have to win only one of out of the remaining three games, Smith’s men won’t leave any stone unturned to turn the course of the series. Hence, their hard-hitting opener Aaron Finch, who missed the first two games owing to injury, is expected to pad up tomorrow.

Finch’s replacement Hilton Cartwright’s performance has been awful, as the player scored just a run in both the matches. In such a scenario, Australia want someone who will match the vibrance of David Warner, and no one in the business but Finch is the perfect man to do so. While Warner has had a forgettable series, one shouldn’t dare to count him out, as if he fires, the Indian bowling lineup will be rattled.

Middle Order (Steve Smith, Travis Head, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell)

After a poor first game, Smith bounced back with a classy captain’s knock of 59 in the second. Australian batting order’s pillar, the number 3 will have to build a big score instead of throwing his wicket cheaply. Like Smith, Travis Head also caught a few eyeballs in the second game with his 39. He is expected to retain his role in the team.

While Glenn Maxwell has shown some glimpses of his striking ability, we are yet to see a full-fledged show of what the ‘Mad Max’ is capable of hope. Smith will be hoping that the spectators at Indore are lucky enough to witness the show, as Maxwell’s blistering knock of 39 runs in the first game is enough to testify the damage this man can cause.

There have been a lot of talks about wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, right from the series against Bangladesh. While the Aussie team management has been showing a lot of faith in him, it is now expected that Peter Handscomb will take the gloves tomorrow. Handscomb even trained as a wicketkeeper during the training session under the watchful guidance of former great Brad Haddin.

All-rounder (Marcus Stoinis)

If there is one positive which Smith can take for the horrific series so far, it is his precious asset, Marcus Stoinis’ performance. Known for his prowess in all three departments of the game, Stoinis impressed with the ball in hand in the first game, picking up the wickets of Rohit Sharma and Kedar Jadhav, and then offered the cheerful fans at Eden Gardens a classic 62 in the second game. While the other batters surrendered in front of the mighty Indian bowling unit, Stoinis remained unbeaten.

Bowlers (Pat Cummins, Kane Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa)

Pat Cummins might have complained about the unbearable heat in India, but the speedster will be leading the charge of Australia’s pace attack in the third game as well. He has picked up just one wicket in the series so far and is desperately in the need for some wickets. While Cummins might have been struggling in the Indian conditions, his partner in crime Nathan Coulter-Nile has made himself habituated with the situations right from the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Kolkata Knight Riders’ player has picked up three wickets in both the games. Kane Richardson replaced the vastly experienced campaigner James Faulkner in the second game and has utilised the opportunity well by picking up 3 wickets. Richardson was the architect behind India’s late collapse, as he dismissed MS Dhoni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the dangerous Hardik Pandya.

While writing the last name in the sheet Smith will be confused between Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa. Both the spinners have picked up one wicket from the single chance they were given. Agar picked the wicket of Manish Pandey in the second game, Zampa dismissed Pandya in the first. But with the Indore pitch curator revealed that the wicket at the Holkar Stadium will help the wrist spinners, it is expected that Smith will be inclined towards choosing Zampa over Agar.