Indian bowlers will have pride to play for and also gain some confidence ahead of the T20 and Test series when they take on Australia in the third and final ODI at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Wednesday.
If Australia, who are leading the three-match series 2-0, win the final match, it will be the first time they will sweep an ODI series against India at home in 20 years, though not necessarily in a bilateral series. The last occasion when India suffered a whitewash was in 1999-2000 when they lost all their four games in the triangular series that also featured Pakistan.
India’s worry has been their bowling as it has failed to stop Australia from getting to record totals. The Aussies made 374 in the first ODI and 389 in the second to take the game out of India’s reach. These are the highest totals the Aussies have scored against India in 50-over games.
While there is very little time for the bowlers to rebound as the surface at Manuka Oval is likely to be batting friendly again, the visitors may ring in a change, bringing in Chiman bowler Kuldeep Yadav for leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who has conceded 160 runs in 20 overs during the two games and picked just one wicket.
Kuldeep hasn’t played much cricket in recent times but his angle as Chinaman, with the ball turning into a right-hander, could be handy. He played just five games in IPL while his last ODI was 10 months back, on February 5.
Indian middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer on Tuesday admitted that the bowling has not been up to the mark but promised that the team would play positively in the final match.
Batsman Shreyas Iyer backed the India’s bowlers to come good in Wednesday’s third and final one-day international against Australia in Canberra in the touring side’s bid to avoid a series sweep.
Australia handsomely beat India in the first two matches of the 50-over format in Sydney, bagging the three-match series with a game to spare.
The hosts’ batsmen posted 374- 6 in the first ODI and put the Indian bowlers to the sword once again in the second, amassing 389-4 to set up comfortable victories.
“If you see the amount of workload they have gone through in the IPL (Indian Premier League) playing continuous 14 games and after that coming here, staying in quarantine so definitely plays in your mind,” Iyer told reporters on Tuesday.
“And it plays with every individual in the team, not just the bowlers. I’m sure they are worldclass bowlers and with the mindset they have, they will definitely come back stronger in the next game,” Iyer added.
