India vs Australia, 3rd ODI Preview: Do or die game for visitors in Indore

Steven Smith and his men have their task cut out in the third ODI as they must win the match to stay alive in the series.  (Source: AP)

Amidst concerns of rain playing a spoilsport in the third ODI between India and Australia at Indore, the two teams lock horns against each other in a match that has turned into a must-win situation for the visitors. After winning the second ODI in Kolkata by 50 runs and taking a 2-0 lead in the series, Team India is brimming with confidence. Australia, on the other hand, is yet to figure out a way to tackle India’s spin twins.

While the bowling has come good for the men in blue, the batting still remains an area of concern. In both the matches the top order has failed to get off to a good start while the middle order has also been scratchy at best. Manish Pandey and Kedhar Jadhav have hardly made any impact while batting in the middle order. The form of Manish Pandey, in particular, will be a cause of concern as he has managed to put up scores of 0 and 3 in two matches. What does augur well for team India is that return to form of skipper Virat Kohli. In the previous match, he fell just eight runs short from eclipsing Ricky Ponting’s record of 31 ODI hundreds. But it was his innings that helped India put up a respectable total on the scoreboard.  The bowling attack led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar will remain the same. While the spin twins of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav look set to lead the spin attack. One thing which is already in favour of India is that they enjoy a 100 percent win record at the Holkar Cricket Stadium.

For the visitors, this is a must-win game and hence they will be under a lot of pressure. One area of concern for the Aussies will be how to counter the spinners. Despite roping in Sridharan Sriram as a spin consultant, Australia’s spin woes still haven’t subsided. Another aspect which skipper Steve Smith also highlighted is sudden batting collapse. If Australia is seeking a positive result, then this problem must be addressed.

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Meanwhile, the pitch at the Holkar Stadium has remained conducive to batting. The average first innings score on this ground is 311 while the second inning is 254. The highest total on this ground is 418/5 and hence a run feast may be on the cards.

India Squad Squad: Virat Kohli(c), Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami

Australia Squad: David Warner, Steven Smith(c), Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Peter Handscomb