Star war in series-deciding third ODI

CHENNAI: The first match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium with a full house since 2013. Thefirst international game at the venue since 2021.

The first match at Chepauk post the inauguration of the newly constructed swanky pavilion. The game that will mark the beginning of a white-ball cricket carnival in Chennai.

A bout between the top-two ODI teams (according to the ICC rankings) – India and Australia.

The match which will decide the outcome of the three-game series, with the sides currently locked at 1-1.

The third and final ODI that will be hosted at the MA Chidambaram on Wednesday needs no more introduction.

The game holding immense significance, its tickets – both online and offline – were sold like hot cakes. The lucky ones, who won various battles to purchase the in-demand passes, will witness a ‘Star War’ featuring India captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli,

Australia stand-in skipper Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc among others. Rohit and Co. came a cropper in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam, so the home team will be determined to sign off on a high before its players disperse to join their respective franchises for the forthcoming Indian Premier League 2023.

If India is to achieve the objective and secure the trophy, it will have to raise its level in all departments.

After falling prey to Australia left-arm fire-brand Mitchell Starc on Sunday, Rohit and his opening partner Shubman Gill will look to feast on a surface which head coach Rahul Dravid termed “very good”.

While Kohli will be hungry to set the match alight with his masterful batting, the out-of-form Suryakumar Yadav, who was dismissed for golden ducks in the first two matches, will initially not look beyond opening his account.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja will return to his happy hunting ground, where he has sizzled while donning the India, Chennai Super Kings and Saurashtra colours.

Having been taken to the cleaners by openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head in the previous match, the bowling pack, expected to have three frontline spinners, will eye a vastly improved performance.

On a high after demolishing the host by 10 wickets in the last game, Australia would hope to leave Indian shores with a trophy to show for.

The form of Marsh and Head will bode well for Australia that had missed the services of regular opener David Warner in the first two games.

Veteran Warner went through the paces at MAC ‘B’ on the eve of the match – Tuesday – but there is no clarity on whether he is fully fit to make it to the eleven.

The pace-bowling triumvirate of Starc, Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis breathed fire in the second ODI and will aim to replicate their dominance at Chepauk.

‘Top-order’s recent form not a concern, but work to be done’

India head coach Rahul Dravid is unconcerned about the top-order’s recent poor form, but admitted that the batters would have to apply themselves better in the powerplay overs.

At the fall of the third wicket in the first and second ODI against Australia – in Mumbai and Visakhapatnam – India stood at 16 and 32 respectively. Among the batters who played in positions 1 to 3 in the first two matches of the ongoing three-game series, only Virat Kohli managed to cross the 30-run mark – 31 in Visakhapatnam.

“Obviously, the last couple of wickets (pitches)… Mumbai was a bit challenging. The last wicket was not a 117-run pitch, there is no doubt about it. But, I think that we have done really well as a batting unit over the last year or so, especially in white-ball cricket. In the six games before that (the home series against Sri Lanka and New Zealand), we put up some big scores. There is not much concern,” Dravid said in the third India-Australia ODI pre-match press conference here on Tuesday.

“The 50-over format does give you the opportunity to see off a spell a little bit and not lose too many wickets. We have probably lost too many wickets in the first 10 overs. We need to look at that a little bit,” Dravid added.

Dravid hailed Australia left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, who cut open the India top-order in the both the matches with vicious spells. “Starc has bowled really well. Credit to him for the way he has bowled with the new ball. I think that we need to find a way to get through such spells, bat and not lose too many wickets upfront,” said Dravid.

‘Clear about the kind of squad we want for World Cup’

During the media interaction, Dravid also explained how India would go about its business in the lead-up to its home ODI World Cup that is scheduled in October-November.

“To a large extent, we are pretty clear about the kind of squad and players we want. We have sort of narrowed it (the pool) down to 17 or 18 players. Obviously, we have a few players who are recovering from injuries and might come into the mix depending on the timeframe of their recoveries and how long it takes for them to come back. Hopefully, we are able to give the guys as many playing opportunities as we can,” said Dravid.

“There are a couple of different combinations that we would like to try [in the run-up]. The World Cup is a big and long tournament. We will be playing in nine different cities and conditions [in the first round]. We just want to have flexibility in the squad,” added Dravid, who emphasised that India would not experiment with team selection in the third Australia ODI just for the sake of it.