India's predicted playing XI for the 3rd ODI vs Australia ft. Kuldeep Yadav & Prasidh Krishna

India will face off against Australia in the third and final ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, October 25. The Men in Blue are currently 2-0 down in the three-match series and have only pride to play for.

Having played an unchanged XI in both matches thus far, India are expected to make a change or two for the final ODI. While it remains to be seen if they will give all their bench players chances, Shubman Gill announcing a few tweaks at the toss seems inevitable.

India’s ODI squad for the Australia tour: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal.

On that note, here is India's predicted playing XI for the third ODI against Australia.

Openers: Shubman Gill (c) and Rohit Sharma

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Shubman Gill has managed only 19 runs in the two innings so far and will be keen on finishing on a high. Rohit Sharma alleviated some of the pressure on him with a half-century in Adelaide, but the former skipper will need to be at the top of his game going forward as well. Yashasvi Jaiswal's involvement seems unlikely at this point, although there's no doubt that he's part of India's strongest side in the format.

Middle Order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy

India v New Zealand: Final - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

Virat Kohli, on the back of dual ducks, is desperate for runs. Following him in the batting order will be Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Axar Patel, who have done decently in the series so far even if they have failed just as often as they have delivered.

Could India drop Nitish Kumar Reddy and play either a specialist batter in Dhruv Jurel or a bowler in Kuldeep Yadav? It's certainly possible, with the fast-bowling all-rounder being part of the T20I squad in Hardik Pandya's absence.

However, India are developing Reddy, and giving him enough chances to make an impact in both departments will be high on their agenda. So he could continue in the XI, with Washington Sundar dropping to the bench instead.

Lower Order: Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj

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Playing Kuldeep Yadav seems inevitable at this point, and India will do well to bring him in at Sydney. The pace attack could undergo a change as well, with Harshit Rana having been expensive in recent times. Prasidh Krishna could slot in for Rana, partnering Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj in the lineup.

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Edited by Sai Krishna