Bhuvi comes in, no Pant in team

September 25, 2022 18:43

India captain Rohit Sharma has won the toss and elected to bat against Australia in the 3rd and final T20I in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes back in the squad while Rishabh Pant sits out of tonight's match.

The Aussies bring in Josh Inglis in place of Sean Abbott.

Playing XIs:

India: KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik(w), Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

Australia: Aaron Finch(c), Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Josh Inglis, Matthew Wade(w), Daniel Sams, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

India will be hoping their key bowlers, Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, are back to their best when the hosts take on Australia in the series-deciding third T20 International in Hyderabad on Sunday.

India were able to plug the gaps in Nagpur to level the three-match series with a comprehensive win in the eight-over-a-side contest. But they will need their bowlers, especially Harshal and Chahal, to overcome their struggles ahead of the T20 World Cup.

While Jasprit Bumrah is sure to carry the responsibility, senior seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's poor show at the death overs is a real concern. He struggled in the Asia Cup and in the opener against Australia.

He was dropped for the second T20, perhaps, because skipper Rohit Sharma felt he needed only four bowlers for the eight overs but Bhuvneshwar's form is worrisome.

India rely on their spinners in the middle overs and while Axar has been a big positive, Chahal has faltered. He went for a lot of runs in the Asia Cup and the trend has continued against Australia.

India will, however, breathe a sigh of relief as Bumrah was his vintage best, showing no signs of rust after returning from his back injury.

In the batting department, the famed top order comprising Rohit, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli needs to be more consistent. The trio has not fired in unison for a while.

Suryakumar Yadav has also been patchy in the past few games with Hardik Pandya churning out match-winning performances.

Another chink in the Indian batters' armour is leg spin. The have continued to struggle against leggies and Adam Zampa has utilised this weakness well.

The Australians, on the other hand, would also be concerned with their bowling.

After outplaying India in the first game, the Australians were at the receiving end in the second match, eventually losing by a massive six wickets. While Aaron Finch and Matthew Wade managed to put runs on the board, their bowling department failed miserably once again.

In the absence of the injured Nathan Elis, pacers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Daniel Sams leaked over 11 runs an over. All-rounder Cameron Green has also been expensive.

Wade has been brilliant with the willow but with a World Cup to defend in their backyard, the Australian team management would like the big-hitting Glenn Maxwell, who has scored just a run in two games, to pick up form.

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