Sydney, October 25, 2025 – In a bid to salvage pride and avoid a whitewash, India made strategic changes to their lineup for the third and final One-Day International (ODI) against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav was brought back into the fold, replacing the injured all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, while pacer Prasidh Krishna came in for Arshdeep Singh. However, luck at the toss continued to elude India, with stand-in captain Shubman Gill losing his 18th consecutive coin flip in ODIs, allowing Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh to elect to bat first on a pitch expected to favor the batters early.
Australia, already leading the series 2-0 after convincing victories in Perth and Adelaide, are on the cusp of achieving a historic 3-0 sweep – something they have never accomplished against India in a bilateral men’s ODI series. The hosts made just one change, introducing Nathan Ellis in place of Xavier Bartlett, who impressed with three wickets in the second ODI, including dismissing Virat Kohli for a duck. Despite the quick turnaround – this being their second game in three days – Australia opted not to rest key pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, signaling their intent to dominate.
For India, the series has been a tale of struggles, particularly for senior batsmen. Virat Kohli, playing what is likely his final ODI in Australia, has registered two ducks so far, adding pressure on the middle order. Rohit Sharma, also potentially in his last outing Down Under, will open alongside Gill. The absence of Nitish Reddy due to a left quadriceps injury sustained in Adelaide forced the inclusion of Kuldeep, whose spin variations could prove crucial on the SCG surface. Prasidh Krishna’s return bolsters the pace attack, joining Mohammed Siraj and debutant Harshit Rana.
Playing XIs
- Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Matthew Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
- India: Shubman Gill (c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.
The first ODI in Perth saw Australia cruise to a seven-wicket win in a rain-interrupted match, with Marsh’s unbeaten 46 steering them home. The second in Adelaide was another dominant performance by the Aussies, setting the stage for this day-night clash. India, grappling with cramping issues among players like Arshdeep in the previous game, will hope their revamped bowling unit can restrict Australia and give their batsmen a chaseable target.
As the series wraps up, all eyes will be on whether India can end their toss drought and mount a comeback, or if Australia will complete the clean sweep and send Kohli and Sharma off with a defeat in their probable farewell to Australian soil.
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