Team India hopes to whitewash the Aussies when they take on the field for the third and final ODI on September 27, Wednesday. But there was a major setback for the Indian side as star all-rounder Axal Patel failed to prove his fitness on time. Axar, who has a left quadriceps injury and was conditionally picked for the Rajkot ODI, has not recovered sufficiently to be included in the squad, hence he has been ruled out of the third and final ODI. The 29-year-old all-rounder, who is part of India’s 15-man squad for the ODI World Cup 2023, was injured during India’s Super Fours match against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup 2023 on September 15 and is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.
Axar’s absence has increased the likelihood of Ravichandran Ashwin being named to Team India’s ODI World Cup team. Ashwin, who made his ODI comeback after 20 months on Friday (September 22) during the first match between India and Australia, impressed with his bowling in the second match, picking up three wickets in seven deliveries to spark an Australian mid-innings collapse.
However, any decision on Ashwin’s inclusion is unlikely for the time being because BCCI sources indicate that Axar, who was selected ahead of Ashwin, is on track for a return to the Indian team well in time for the ODI World Cup 2023, where India will open its campaign on October 8 against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Reports reveal that the left-handed batter would be available for the ODI World Cup warm-up matches.
Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav will return to the squad after being rested for the first couple of matches. Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who was given a short break, will also be available for the final encounter. While India’s regular captain Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli return to the side, in-form opener Shubman Gill and Shardul Thakur are set to miss the final ODI match.
Reports stated that the duo rested for the last encounter will immediately join the team in Guwahati, where the Men in Blue will face England in their first warm-up match on September 30, Saturday. Gill, the leading run-scorer of the ODI series with 178 runs in two matches, including his sixth ODI century in the second ODI triumph in Indore, will lose out on the chance to overtake Pakistan skipper Babar Azam in the ICC ODI rankings.
