In Rajkot, India in the second ODI made a strong comeback against Aaron Finch and Co. The visitors were restricted at 304, thus they lost the match by 36 runs. Now, Virat Kohli and his men have levelled the series with 1-1 and they know they a win away to seal the series at home. Meanwhile, third ODI match on Sunday will be a decider of the ongoing series at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
In the penultimate ODI, India had dominated Australia both with bat and ball despite some resistance from Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne. Batsmen, in particular, have learned from their mistakes they made in Mumbai which further saw them facing 10-wicket drubbing at Wankhede Stadium.
Date: 19/01/2019
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Rohit-Dhawan injury is a cause of concern for Indian camp:
Though India managed to level the series, but injuries to opener Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have piled up miseries for the Men in Blue ahead of the series decider.
Early in the 10th over of the game, Dhawan got hit on the rib-cage when Pat Cummins was bowling for the Aussies.
Later in the 43rd over of Australian innings, Rohit injured his left hand while trying to stop a certain four in the deep and had to leave the field while writhing in pain.
Now, the duo has only one day to recover before the start of the third ODI in Bengaluru.
Earlier, Rishabh Pant, who was ruled out of the first and second match due to concussion is expected to make a comeback in the third ODI.
Head to Head:
| Team | Total | Won | Loss | No result/Tied |
| Australia | 139 | 78 | 51 | 10/0 |
| India | 139 | 51 | 78 | 10/0 |
Weather forecast for Bengaluru game:
It will be a clear sky on the match day( Sunday, January 18). The dew factor will not affect the bowler’s attack.
Pitch Condition:
It has been a norm that the batters get the full support of the Chinnaswamy pitch while bowlers will have to sweat it out to take wickets.
Besides, the fast bowlers could get a little bit of help at this particular venue. However, the shorter boundaries will be a headache for the fielding side.
India’s Predictable XI:
| Players | Role |
| Rohit Sharma | Opening Batsman |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Opening Batsman |
| Virat Kohli (c) | Batsman |
| Shreyas Iyer | Batsman |
| KL Rahul | Batsman |
| Rishabh Pant | Wk/Batsman |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Allrounder |
| Navdeep Saini | Bowler |
| Mohammed Shami | Bowler |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Bowler |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler |
Australia’s Predicted XI:
| Players | Role |
| David Warner | Opening Batsman |
| Aaron Finch | Opening Batsman |
| Marnus Labuschagne | Batsman |
| Steve Smith | Batsman |
| Ashton Turner | Allrounder |
| Alex Carey | Wk-Batsman |
| Ashton Agar | Allrounder |
| Mitchell Starc | Bowler |
| Adam Zampa | Bowler |
| Pat Cummins | Bowler |
| Kane Richardson | Bowler |
Match Prediction:
The Bangalore stadium is the home venue of the RCB captain, Virat Kohli. Moreover, pacer Navdeep Saini has also an experience to play at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Well, back in 2017, India has lost the ODI match against Australia on this ground by 21 runs. To win the three-match ODI series, India must come out all guns blazing.
Where To Watch:
TV – Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD
Online– Hotstar
Time– 1:30 PM IST