IND v AUS 2020: India's ideal XI for the third ODI in Canberra

After losing 2 consecutive matches in Sydney, India will now look to get back to winning ways at Canberra on Wednesday. The Indian cricket team has a long tour left. So they will look to gather some momentum by winning the dead rubber tomorrow.

In this match, there is much more at stake for the Indian cricket team than just pride as they have now lost five consecutive ODI matches. New Zealand had whitewashed India 3-0 during the team's Kiwis tour earlier this year. In the current Australia tour, India is trailing the 3-match series by 0-2.

Until now, India has been whitewashed four times in a bilateral ODI series. The first two instances occurred in the 1980s against West Indies, and both were demoralizing 5-0 losses. The third instance was in 1997 against Sri Lanka where India was blanked in an ODI series by a 3-0 margin. The third and most recent instance was against New Zealand earlier this year.

If India loses the last ODI, it will be their second whitewash series loss in a calendar year, a first in Indian cricket's history. To avoid this, Virat Kohli and team will have to play a consistent brand of cricket in all the departments. The team has multiple match-winners in both its batting and bowling line-up. So we can expect a much better performance from the team on Wednesday.

The last time India played in Canberra, Australia triggered a stunning collapse of 9-46 to win the game from nowhere!The third #AUSvIND ODI at Manuka Oval starts at 2.20pm AEDT tomorrow pic.twitter.com/NiciPRoMMK

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 1, 2020

Manuka Oval, Canberra, will host the third and last match of this ODI series on Wednesday. The game will start at 9:10 AM IST. 310 is the average first innings total at this ground, and in the second innings, it reduces to 234. Thus, the pitch will assist the batsmen more than the bowlers and fans can expect another high scoring match tomorrow.

411-4 runs scored by the South African team against Ireland in the 2015 World Cup is the highest total recorded at this ground in ODIs. Interestingly, it is the South African team again who holds the record for the highest successful run chase at this venue, 164-3 during the 1992 Benson Hedges World Cup.

The toss will be crucial as history suggests chasing has been difficult at this venue. The team that wins the toss will look to bat first.

The Indian Cricket Team's Expected XI

India will mostly stick with the same team combination in their batting department. Domestic sensation Shubaman Gill might get a chance as an opener if the management decides to drop Mayank Agarwal, who failed to convert his starts in both the matches.

The bowling department, on the other hand, might have several changes. The RCB duo of Chahal and Saini have conceded runs heavily in both the matches. Natarajan and Kuldeep Yadav might replace them for the third match. The left-arm pacer, Natarajan is adept at bowling yorkers with high consistency, so he can relieve pressure off Bumrah during the death overs. This way, Bumrah can bowl more overs in the powerplay and attack.

Ideal playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan

What would your ideal starting XI be?