India v Australia, 3rd ODI: India Predicted XI

India and Australia will lock horns once again on Sunday at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore for the third ODI of the 5-match series. The match might effectively decide the fate of the series if India manages to win and take an unassailable 3-0 lead with two matches to play. However, the way Men in Blue have been playing in the series thus far it will be a really tough task for the Aussies.

Indian team has continued their dream run in the limited overs format against the more fancied Aussies. The Indian team has been found wanting at times but someone or the other has bailed them out of the trouble in both the previous matches. Apart from Manish Pandey at no. 4, everyone has got their straps going as far as the batting is concerned. The bowling department has been special so far and has defended two below par totals of 281 and 252.

Australia, on the other hand, have to get going soon as things are getting out of their control quickly. They have to win on Sunday to keep the series alive and they need a special performance from the likes of David Warner and Steve Smith. The bowling has settled down perfectly for them and they got their team in the commanding positions only to lose due to the inability of their batsmen to play quality spin. Here we bring you the predicted XI for the hosts India:

Openers (Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane)

Rohit Sharma is due for a big score after a couple of low scores to start the series. He got off to a start in Chennai but threw his wicket away and was scalped by Nathan Coulter Nile at Eden Gardens before he could get settled. He would love to make an immediate impact in Indore and help India seal the series on Sunday.

Ajinkya Rahane looked at his fluent best in the previous game and he was severe on anything pitched up. He has done his job at the top in the absence of Shikhar Dhawan and would like to make a telling contribution again. Another big knock will make it tough for the team management to bench Rahane for the rest of the series.

Middle Order (Virat Kohli, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav)

The skipper Virat Kohli has finally broken the jinx and scored runs against his favourite opposition on Thursday. His sublime 92 in the heat of Kolkata helped India post a competitive total batting first. Australians have always come out with a plan for him but in second ODI, he battled his way early on and then looked set for another ton. He would love to seal the deal in Indore itself and relax for the remainder of the series testing the bench strength.

Manish Pandey is the only batsman who has not looked comfortable so far in this series for India. He has been preferred ahead of KL Rahul in this series and might get one more chance to prove himself at the same position. He needs to grab the golden opportunity soon and what better than doing it in the third ODI and win the series for his country.

Kedar Jadhav has played cameos so far in both the previous games and the time has come for him to deliver in crunch times. He had the chance of making a statement but returned to the dressing room after getting set. But he has been assured a spot in the middle order and has no threats of losing his place in the side. Though he will look to make amends for his starts in the first two matches.

Wicketkeeper (MS Dhoni)

MS Dhoni is currently trending in the Indian cricket due to contributions behind the stumps as well in front. He had a rare off day with the bat on Thursday but guided the wrist spinners superbly with his inputs while defending the total. He is the in-form batsman for India and has held one end to launch himself only in the death overs. His knock of 79 off 87 in Chennai was the testimony of the Dhoni 2.0 version who is more of a team guide and then if required the finisher.

All-Rounder (Hardik Pandya)

Hardik Pandya may be having the best year of his life: another terrific IPL season, a sensational debut Test series and now an indispensable cog in India’s limited-overs set-up. He has the attributes to be the seam-bowling allrounder India are yearning for. He is already one of the cleanest hitters in world cricket, he can hit 140 kmph and use the bouncer effectively. All those elements have already been seen in this series so far. He just needs to build on this confidence to win the series for his team.

Bowlers (Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is fast turning as the all-rounder for India with two crucial knocks in the end overs in two games. But his ability to move the ball both ways during the powerplay overs and has made unplayable. In Kolkata, he was literally unplayable when he scalped Hilton Cartwright with an inswinger and Warner with a vicious out swinging delivery. His performance has forced the management to bench Mohammad Shami and will certainly walk into the eleven at least in this series.

Kuldeep Yadav is fresh off a sensational hat-trick at the iconic Eden Gardens and is in the news in the build-up to the most important game of the series. He has been put under pressure by Glenn Maxwell but has come up with a bag of tricks to make a comeback. He will be varied by the fact that the visitors would come prepared now and has to continue his good showing. He has picked 5 wickets in two matches so far and would like to make an impact on Sunday as well.

The leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has proved his worth against one of the strongest lineup in world cricket in this series. He has shown that he is not perturbed by all the talk around him and does whatever he is asked to do. With 5 wickets in first two games, the youngster is looking certain in the playing eleven in most of the upcoming games now.

Jasprit Bumrah won the Man of the Series award in Sri Lanka but has not got going so far in this series. He will be raring to go out in the middle on Sunday as India will look to close the series with a 3-0 lead. He struggled in Kolkata as well but the skipper knows his ability and would want to hit his lines and lengths right this time around.