Kuldeep Steps In for Injured Nitish in 3rd ODI
Kuldeep Yadav has finally found a place in India’s playing XI for the ongoing India vs Australia ODI series, stepping in after Nitish Kumar Reddy’s injury ruled him out of the third ODI. With the series already decided, India reshuffled their bowling unit for the match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, bringing in Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna while leaving out Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh.
The BCCI confirmed Nitish’s unavailability in an official release. “Nitish Kumar Reddy sustained a left quadriceps injury during the second ODI in Adelaide and was subsequently unavailable for selection for the third ODI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring him on a daily basis,” said BCCI in an official statement.
No formal update was shared regarding Arshdeep Singh. However, the pacer was seen struggling with cramps late in the Adelaide encounter and received on-field medical attention. As a key T20I bowler, the team management chose not to risk him in an inconsequential match.
Kuldeep’s Return Strengthens India’s Spin Attack
With these changes, India will field a balanced attack of three pacers and three spinners. Kuldeep’s return draws attention after missing the first two matches despite being India’s top ODI spinner lately. His inclusion adds depth and variation to India’s bowling lineup.
Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh maintained his perfect toss record in the series and elected to bat first. India, meanwhile, continued their poor run with the coin, losing their 18th consecutive toss.
Contrary to early reports, Australia fielded both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. Their only alteration was the inclusion of Nathan Ellis in place of Xavier Bartlett.
Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (w), Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey (w), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Nathan Ellis, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
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