After failing to consolidate on a good start from skipper Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja, Australian unit would be aiming for the resurgence in a do-or-die clash at Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s hometown; Ranchi. Sportzwiki brings you the match preview of the third ODI of India vs Australia 2019 series.
At the fag end of an innings, the guests crumbled under pressure while faltering to chase down the target of 251 in the second One-day International at Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur.
In the meantime, the last-over heroics from Vijay Shankar has had won him the accolades for keeping his head calm by picking two wickets in three deliveries when Kangaroos required 11 off six balls.
With this, ongoing India vs Australia 2019 five-match series saw hosts taking the lead to 2-0 after riding on a chanceless hundred from skipper Virat Kohli. So far, the all-round show has benefited India from all corners
It was equally complemented by none other than rising star Shankar, who shone both with the bat and the ball.
Shankar pulled up his socks by slamming 41-ball 46 by smashing five fours and a maximum.
Nevertheless, the visitors will be desperate enough to clinch the Ranchi ODI in a bid to stay alive in the series. Aussies are struggling with their batting department with 2019 World Cup looming large.
However, to India’s point of view, they are a win away to take an unassailable lead of 3-0 in the home series ahead of their 2019 World Cup campaign in the United Kingdom.
With the next couple of games taking place in the space of five days, spectators will witness chopping and changing taking place. And it would be interesting to notice how the bench strength would leave an impact to serve as an added advantage for the team’s cause.
Kuldeep Yadav has grown from strength to strength with Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah doing their job by intimidating the opponents.
Following a prolific show in Nagpur with the ball even though on a surface which made things a bit difficult for the batsmen, for Kohli, it was another day to produce master-class by playing quality strokes across the dial.
The batting giant amassed 116 runs off 120 balls with the help of ten fours.
Furthermore, India would be aiming to produce yet another clinical performance to seal the series after losing the T20I series 0-2.
For Australia, Marcus Stoinis had shown some promise apart from the openers, before Ravindra Jadeja produced a spectacular run out to leave Peter Handscomb shell-shocked.
The highlight for visitors has been Pat Cummins’ effort with the ball. He bagged four scalps in the last game.
Date & Venue:
| Date | Venue |
| 08 March, 2019 | Ranchi |
ODI played so far at JSCA:
| Host Team | Opposition | Result | Margin | Match Date |
| India | England | India | 7 wickets | Jan 19, 2013 |
| India | Australia | No result | NA | Oct 23, 2013 |
| India | Sri Lanka | India | 3 wickets | Nov 16, 2014 |
| India | New Zealand | New Zealand | 19 runs | Oct 26, 2016 |
Ongoing ODI Series Result:
| ODI Series | India | Australia |
| 5 | 2 | 0 |
Here’s the predicted XI line-up for both teams:
India’s Predicted XI:
| Player Name | Role |
| Rohit Sharma | Batsman |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Batsman |
| Virat Kohli (C) | Batsman |
| Rishabh Pant | Batsman |
| MS Dhoni | WK/Batsman |
| Kedar Jadhav | Batsman |
| Vijay Shankar | All-Rounder |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Bowler |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler |
Australia Predicted XI:
| Player Name | Role |
| Usman Khawaja | Batsman |
| Shaun Marsh | Batsman |
| Aaron Finch (C) | Batsman |
| Glenn Maxwell | All-Rounder |
| Peter Handscomb | Batsman |
| Marcus Stoinis | Batsman |
| Alex Carey | Wk/Batsman |
| Pat Cumins | Bowler |
| Nathan Coulter-Nile | Bowler |
| Adam Zampa | Bowler |
| Nathan Lyon | Bowler |
Head-to-head record in ODIs in India:
| Matches 58 | India won 27 | Australia 26 | NR 5 |
| India at Ranchi | Matches 4 | Won 2 | Lost 1 |
| Australia at Ranchi | Matches 1 | Won 0 | Lost 0 |
Records set to be achieved or surpassed:
After bagging the first duck in India, Rohit is 66 runs away to score 3,000 ODI runs in India. Overall, he will become ninth Indian batsmen to achieve the milestone after Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly.
Similarly, MS Dhoni, who has bagged the first duck in ODI cricket after nine years, is just 33 runs away to amass 17,000 international runs across formats.
Pitch Conditions:
Adding to a stat, Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) Stadium in Ranchi hosted first-ever ODI on January 19, 2013.
At Ranchi, India has played four matches in which the hosts won two games before losing out a game against New Zealand by 19 runs on October 26, 2016.
On the other side, Australia has played a solitary game which ended on no result following the washout on October 23, 2013.
While considering the track record of the surface, the pitch is expected to help spinners while offering grip and turn. The spinners will be eyeing to deliver for their respective teams.
However, the pitch is expected to offer a lot, and while considering through ground on the bigger side, it would test power-hitters.
Ranchi ODI Stat:
| Venue | Ranchi |
| Matches | 4 |
| Batting first team won | 1 |
| Bowling first team won | 2 |
| Average 1st Innings Score | 249 |
| Average 2nd Innings Score | 178 |
| Highest Total | 295/8 by Australia vs India |
| Lowest Total Set | 155 in 42.2 by England vs India |
| Highest Total Chased | 288 for seven in 48.4 overs by India vs SL |
| Lowest Total Defended | 260 for seven by NZ vs India |
Weather Condition:
As we’re expected a cracker of a game to be played after a prolonged gap of over two years, the temperature would hover around 28 degree Celsius with 12 in the night.
Since it’s a day and night fixture, the visitors would find it good enough to acclimatise well.
Interestingly, the humidity would be around 29 per cent.
It will be a complete hundred-over game with winds blowing from North West at eleven to 18 kph.
Where to Watch: Star Sports Network including HD Channels, Streaming; HotStar
Match Prediction:
By distance, India has proved to be a dominant force following the hiccups in the T20Is. From Dhoni to Kohli, the senior campaigners have backed each other to see Men in Blue over the line in the first two games.
However, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have a lot on their shoulders to give a resounding start to India.
While considering the Australian line-up we won’t term it as a cake-walk for hosts, but they have more chances of clinching the series 3-0, early on.
The expected first innings score on this surface would be anything between 255 and 270. With pressure on Australia, the visitors would like to bat first.
