Australia win toss again, eye historic whitewash as India bring in Kuldeep Yadav

Australia continued their remarkable run of luck at the toss, with captain Mitchell Marsh opting to bat first in the third and final ODI against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The hosts, already leading 2–0, are eyeing a rare 3–0 sweep — something they’ve never achieved against India in a bilateral men’s ODI series.

India’s wait for a change of fortune at the toss stretched to 18 consecutive ODIs, and they will once again have to chase under lights. The visitors made two changes, bringing in left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav for his first appearance of the series and Prasidh Krishna for Arshdeep Singh, who struggled with cramps during the previous match in Adelaide. Allrounder Nitish Reddy was ruled out after sustaining a left quadriceps injury in the second ODI.

Australia made a single alteration to their XI, with Nathan Ellis replacing Xavier Bartlett, who impressed in Adelaide with three wickets, including the prized scalp of Virat Kohli for a duck. The home side resisted the urge to rest their frontline quicks, with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood both featuring again. Starc, who has retired from T20Is, will not be part of the upcoming short-format series, while Hazlewood will continue into the Canberra and Melbourne games.

This match is expected to be a sentimental occasion, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma likely making their final ODI appearances in Australia. Kohli has endured a lean series so far, registering two ducks in as many innings.

Playing XIs

Australia: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Matthew Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

India: Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj

Australia will look to complete a memorable clean sweep, while India hope for a strong finish to avoid a whitewash and bid farewell to two of their greatest modern-day batters on a high.