IND vs AUS 2022-23, 3rd ODI: Indian top-order and Suryakumar Yadav in focus ahead of ultimate decider

The prima donnas of Indian batting will have to put their best foot forward while tackling the lethal in-dippers from seamer Mitchell Starc when they face Australia in the series-deciding third One-Day International (ODI) at the MA Chidambaram (Chepauk) Stadium on Wednesday. If Starc is giving sleepless nights to the batters, the other 'Mitchell -- Mitchell Marsh -- has sent the Indian bowlers on a leather hunt by hitting nearly a dozen sixes (11) across two games. Tackling 'Mitchell The Menace' will be topmost on the Indian team's agenda.

The series is locked at 1-1, and the starry quartet of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav will have to bat out of their skins to stop the left-arm pacer, who is gearing up to once again bring the ball back viciously into the right-handers while taking a few away.

A sea change on the technical aspect and mental make-up will be the need of the hour, and Starc has exposed their frailties pretty severely. The white ball games in India are mostly played on flat decks, where one can get away by hitting through the line and where one doesn't need too much of feet movement. A batter can plonk the front foot and hit deliveries across the line with a fair degree of success.

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But Starc, blessed with better skill sets, changed the questionnaire with deliveries that would either straighten in the off-middle line or cut back sharply towards leg-middle after a fair amount of deviation in the air. The Indians have known what Starc has done for the longest time, but they failed to factor in that conditions in Mumbai and Visakhapatnam would assist his bowling a bit more. In Mumbai, there was help off the surface, but in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam, the ball did more in the air than off the surface.

The refurbished Chepauk, with all its stands being open for public viewing, will be hosting an international game after quite some time, and the re-laid pitch will attract a lot of attention. Usually, Chepauk produces a track that is effective for slow bowlers and run-scoring in the middle overs might be challenging. However, an exciting aspect of this year's pitch preparation will be keeping Chennai Super Kings (CSK) strength in mind, and one might see some initial nip off the surface for the fast bowlers.

Surya's problems
Suryakumar Yadav in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) can do no wrong with his aggressive shuffling inside the crease. Still, that exaggerated movement across the crease has led to a couple of identical first-ball dismissals for him in both ODIs. To play swing and seam, one must maintain perfect balance and play the ball as late as possible. Surya always plays late in T20s, so it is surprising that he is trying to meet the ball early in this format.

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With no Shreyas Iyer for some time, this is Surya's best time to grab the opportunity and seal an ICC World Cup berth, but he has yet to be convincing. "Of course, we have seen, and he knows that he needs to do well in the slightly-longer format of the game as well. Things are there in his mind as well. Guys with potential will have enough run so that they don't feel like 'okay, I wasn't given enough chances in that particular slot," skipper Rohit had said after the last game.

"Surya got out in the last two games and the series before that. He needs that consistent run, like back-to-back games, seven, eight and ten games. So that he feels more comfortable," the skipper had assured. The next run of ODIs will only be in June-July, and Iyer could be fit by then to reclaim his place, and Surya might find it challenging to get his share of chances.

Bowling attack
The Indian bowling attack needs to take its workload management seriously, but the bowlers haven't had much work to do as they have bowled 47 overs (36 and 11) across the two games. That is only part of the 100 allocated overs. Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj will be okay with first using the Chepauk surface if Rohit wins the toss. The critical question is if Shardul Thakur, or Jaydev Unadkat for his left-arm variation, will be used as a third specialist seamer or if both spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel will get another game alongside Ravindra Jadeja.

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Teams
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wk), Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal and Umran Malik.
Australia: Steven Smith (c), Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Marbnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar, David Warner, Alex Carrey and Jos Inglis (wk).

Match details
Date and day: March 22, 2023 (Wednesday)
Venue: MA Chidambaram (Chepauk) Stadium, Chennai
Time: 1.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar

(With inputs from PTI)

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