Prasidh Krishna has replaced Arshdeep Singh in India's playing XI.
India have once again lost the toss in the third match of the Australia vs India series. Coming into the fixture after back-to-back defeats, the visitors have made two changes in their playing XI. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and pacer Arshdeep Singh make way for the ace spinner Kuldeep Yadav and seamer Prasidh Krishna.
However, they will not be much upset with the call, as the newly appointed ODI skipper Shubman Gill stated that the Men in Blue also wanted to bowl first in their must-win clash in Sydney.
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued a medical statement on Nitish, they are yet to reveal any reason for the star pacer Arshdeep’s absence in the final ODI fixture. The authority has revealed that the 22-year-old had suffered a left quadriceps injury during the previous encounter in Adelaide, which has sidelined him from the ongoing clash.
However, though not revealed, it can be assumed that the pacer has also missed out on the fixture due to fitness issues. Previously, he was seen to be troubled with cramps during the final few overs of the last fixture and had also received medical attention beside the boundary lines.
Notably, Arshdeep’s absence might hurt India’s chances of avoiding a 3-0 clean sweep in Australia. The bowler has been a key figure of the side’s 50-over setup and snared three wickets in two matches of the series so far. Earlier, he had also stitched a crucial 37-run partnership off just 29 deliveries with fellow seamer Harshit Rana in the latest Adelaide fixture.
ALSO READ:
The series had garnered huge excitement among the Indian fans as it marked the comeback of two of the stalwarts of the game, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, in international cricket. But the three-match contest has been disappointing for them so far.
The series opener witnessed a batting collapse of the visitors in the rain-interrupted clash in Perth, which Australia dominated to clinch an early 1-0 lead. The Men in Blue had to secure the subsequent match in a bid to keep the series alive. But though Rohit made a stunning comeback with his gritty knock of 73 runs following the single-digit score in Perth, Kohli registered his maiden consecutive ducks in ODIs.
Despite a tough fight, the hosts went on to claim the second fixture with a narrow two-wicket win and also sealed the series. India will now be looking for their sole victory to avoid their maiden ODI clean sweep in Australia. They will also want to gain a much-needed momentum before stepping into the five T20Is, starting on October 29.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (C), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (WK), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Nathan Ellis, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (C), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
