| December 1, 2020 at 9:13 PM
With the series decided, the teams may make some changes in the final ODI.
Both sides have a decent group of bench players, and with the Test series looming, a dead rubber will allow both sides to give their Test players a break.
The third ODI will be played in the Manuka Oval, Canberra.
Like Sydney, the Manuka Oval is a large ground that favors the side batting first.
Let us now look discuss the changes likely from both sides:
Australia:
David Warner has been ruled out of the limited-overs series with injury while Pat Cummins is rested after a long IPL.
David Warner has been a critical player in the first two games, giving Australia a robust platform.
D’Arcy Short has been called up as David Warner’s replacement, and there will be a toss-up between him and Wade for the vacant spot.
Marnus Labuschagne has been batting in the middle-order and raised his hand to take up the vacant opening spot.
This leaves the Australians with a discussion on who to play as D’Arcy Short has opened before while Matthew Wade is a middle-order player.
Another option, which seems likely, is pushing Labuschagne up the order and bringing in Cameron Green.
Green has been seen as a player with a lot of potentials and has his team’s backing.
He has been in line to make his debut throughout the series, and the third ODI may be the perfect time to bring him in.
Pat Cummins is a bowling all-rounder, and in his place, the Australian’s have a like-for-like replacement in Sean Abbott.
Sean Abbott is a left-arm pacer and has been in great form with both bat and ball this season in Shield cricket.
If Abbott gets a chance, he will play his first ODI since 2014.
Starc and Hazlewood may also be in the discussion as they will have to play crucial roles in the Test series later this month.
In particular, Mitchell Starc hasn’t been at his best, and a game off may help him gather his thoughts.
With Tye and Daniel Sams, Australia may be tempted to rest their premier bowlers ahead of the Test series.
The decision to rest their best bowlers may prove costly as it will leave the bowling attack massively inexperienced for the final game.
With Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood out, the bowling attack will consist of new faces, which seems unlikely.
The most they may do beyond the regular changes is rest either Starc or Hazlewood.
Resting one of them will allow the bowlers to be rotated while the line-up still has some experience.
So, the Likely changes are the entry of Cameron Green or D’Arcy Short/ Matthew Wade for David Warner.
The decision may prompt Labuschagne to open depending on who comes in.
Another change for Australia could be Sean Abbott for Pat Cummins.
The third change, which may be unlikely, is Starc/Hazlewood rested for Tye/Daniel Sams.
India:
India does not have too many injuries to worry about, but they will look to keep an eye on their bowlers’ workload.
Bumrah and Shami have played crucial roles in the IPL and have gone through a mentally draining series against Australia.
Giving them a breather may allow the two to come back fresh for the T20s and later Tests.
Navdeep Saini has also been expensive with the ball and complained about a back injury before the first ODI.
He hasn’t gotten his rhythm right, and he may be left out to try other bowlers.
India has got T Natarajan and Shardul Thakur on the sidelines.
An ideal situation would be resting the three bowlers, so they get a break, but with two back-up pacers, one may end up playing.
There is a possibility of playing either two out of Shami, Bumrah, and Saini while choosing between Thakur and Natarajan.
Though Shami and Bumrah have been through a draining period, they may look to play the final ODI, given the side’s performance in the first two games.
With India’s bowling has done, it could be a tough choice to make unless one of the two crucial fast bowlers is rested.
Another change that can be looked at is the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav.
Yuzvendra Chahal has not been at his best in the first two ODIs, and bringing in Kuldeep may be a smart move as Yadav knows how to use the bounce in Australia well.
Kuldeep Yadav has not featured in the series yet and was not a regular for his side in the IPL.
He has been out of form, and playing him in a dead rubber may allow him to return with some freedom.
Another choice could be bringing Kuldeep Yadav for Ravindra Jadeja.
The change may affect the batting depth, but India will look more aggressive in the middle-overs.
Statistically, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have been more effective, bowling together.
Reuniting the two may change the attitude and help Bumrah, who has been frustrated throughout the series.
Kuldeep has a decent record against Maxwell, and his left-arm leg-spin may feel different to Smith.
The batting has been good as the side managed to cross 300 in both games and the batsmen looked comfortable at different points of the series.
Mayank Agarwal has provided the side with good starts but has failed to convert, which is a point to discuss.
There may be a possibility of Gill coming in place of Agarwal or even Shikhar Dhawan.
Another modification could be bringing Rahul to the top and allowing Agarwal to bat in the middle-order.
Allowing Agarwal to play in the middle-order may help him settle as he will likely face the part-time bowlers.
The last change could be the inclusion of Sanju Samson or Manish Pandey in place of Shreyas Iyer.
The change is possible but seems unlikely, as India looks to give Iyer a longer run at number four.
Leaving him out may affect the continuity, which has been missing at the number four spot for India over the years.
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