India vs Australia, 3rd ODI: Steve Smith elects to bat
India will take on Australia in the third and final ODI on Wednesday in Chennai. Australia were at their dominant best in the second game as they defeated India by 10 wickets and made it 1-1. However, a low-scoring series remains in the balance as both teams will fancy their chances. Aussie skipper Steve Smith has won the toss and elected to bat first.
Pitch report, timing, and broadcast details
The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai will host the 3rd ODI. The surface will be good for batting and spinners will hope to make an impact. As per reports, one can expect the ball to move around initially. The match will be live on Star Sports Network and also live-streamed on Disney+ Hotstar (paid subscription) from 1:30 PM IST.
IND vs AUS: A look at the head-to-head record
India and Australia have faced each other in a total of 145 ODI to date. Australia enjoy a great record, having won 81 matches to India's 54. Whereas 10 ODIs were inconclusive. If the visitors win this game, they will be the first team to win a series in India against India since 2019. It was the Australians, who defeated India 3-2 in 2019.
Key numbers for Smith and Kohli
Australian powerhouse Steve Smith is just 61 runs away from 5,000 ODI runs (4,939). He is also one century short of equaling Ricky Ponting (6) for the most ODI 100s against India for Australia. As per Cricbuzz, in seven ODI innings here, Virat Kohli has smashed two fifties and one hundred, besides four single-digit scores.
Warner back for the Aussies
David Warner is back for Australia and he replaces Cameron Green, who is unwell. Ashton Agar has replaced Nathan Ellis. AUS Playing XI: David Warner, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Ashton Agar, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa
Same Playing XI for India
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj
