India are expected to make changes for the third and final ODI against Australia on Saturday, October 25, at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). After losing the first two matches in Perth and Adelaide, the visitors will be playing to avoid a series whitewash.
One of the key changes likely to happen is the inclusion of Kuldeep Yadav in the playing XI, while two players are expected to make way.
Kuldeep’s Return on the Cards
Kuldeep Yadav, who has taken 181 wickets in 113 ODIs, did not feature in the first two matches of the series. The left-arm wrist spinner has been in excellent form, finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup 2025 and also shining in the recent Test series against West Indies.
The SCG has happy memories for Kuldeep as well — he picked up a five-wicket haul at this venue in Test cricket. He is likely to replace either Nitish Kumar Reddy or Washington Sundar in the XI.
- Reddy scored 8 runs and conceded 24 runs in 3 overs in the second ODI.
- Sundar contributed 12 runs with the bat and took 2 for 37 in 7 overs in Adelaide.
Prasidh Krishna Likely to Replace Harshit Rana
In the pace department, Prasidh Krishna is expected to come in for Harshit Rana. Although Rana picked up two wickets in Adelaide, he also conceded 59 runs in 8 overs.
With the SCG pitch expected to assist both seamers and spinners, India might go in with a slightly different bowling combination.
Batting Line-up Expected to Stay Unchanged
Despite Virat Kohli’s lean run in this series, the management is unlikely to make any changes to the top order. Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Kohli are expected to lead the batting, followed by Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul.
While there have been some calls for Yashasvi Jaiswal to get a chance, that scenario appears unlikely. Jaiswal has played just one ODI so far, scoring 15 against England in Nagpur earlier this year.
India’s Likely Playing XI for 3rd ODI
- Shubman Gill (C)
- Rohit Sharma
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- Axar Patel
- KL Rahul (WK)
- Nitish Kumar Reddy / Washington Sundar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Arshdeep Singh
- Mohammed Siraj
- Prasidh Krishna
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