India were able to bridge the gap 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 recover from their struggles ahead of the T20 World Cup.
India had an electric start in the previous game, with Axar Patel bowling a quick in the two overs that included some wickets but they struggled towards the end of the innings.
While Jasprit Bumrah will take over the responsibility, senior seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s poor performance in 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 eight overs, but Bhuvneshwar’s form was worrying.
Death overs specialist Harshal, who is returning from injury, has also not inspired confidence and probably needs a few more matches to find his rhythm.
The right-arm medium pacer, who relies on his variations to be effective, has conceded 81 runs in his six overs at an economy rate of 13.50 and is the costliest bowler in the series. He has struggled to get his length right without a wicket.
India rely on their spinners in the middle overs and while Akshar has been a big positive, Chahal has faltered. He scored a lot of runs in the Asia Cup and this trend continued against Australia.
India, however, will breathe a sigh of relief as Bumrah was at his old best, showing no signs of war after returning from his back injury.
In the batting department, the famous top-order of Rohit, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli needs to be more consistent. All three have not fired in unison for some time.
Suryakumar Yadav has also been poor in the last few matches and Hardik Pandya has put in a match-winning performance.
Another chink in the armor of Indian batsmen is leg spin. The leggies have continued to struggle against and Adam Zampa has used this weakness well.
Dinesh Karthik, who played his part as a finisher in the previous game, is likely to get more playing time.
Skipper Rohit would also like to try out similar player Axar in place of injured Ravindra Jadeja with the bat to see how the all-rounder performs in critical situations. Additionally, he is the only left-handed batsman other than Rishabh Pant.
The Australians, on the other hand, will also be concerned with their bowling.
After beating India in the first game, the Australians were on the receiving end in the second match, eventually losing by six wickets. While Aaron Finch and Matthew Wade managed to score runs on the board, their bowling department failed miserably once again.
Fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Daniel Sams conceded 11 runs in an over in the absence of injured Nathan Ellis. All-rounder Cameron Green has also been expensive.
Wade has been fantastic with the Willows, but with a World Cup to defend in his backyard, the Aussie team management would love big-hitter Glenn Maxwell, who has scored just one run in two matches.
Come Sunday, both teams will look to iron out the flaws in their respective armor and come out on top, as a series win at the close of the World Cup will be a real moral booster.
Teams from:
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.
India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), KL Rahul (VC), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav.
The match will start at 7 PM IST.
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