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Rohit, Virat, Hardik To Join Team India In Rajkot Before 3rd ODI Vs Australia

image-lmykh515Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma set to join team India for 3rd ODI | Source: X.com

Team India won the first two ODI matches against Australia even without their star players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Mohammed Siraj, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. 

India, under the captaincy of KL Rahul, started the series by defeating Australia by five wickets in the Mohali opener and continuing their dominance in the second ODI in Indore with a 99-run victory (via DLS method). In both contests, India has shown complete control.

With the third and final ODI match slated for September 27 in Rajkot, the squad will welcome back senior players such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav. 

Rohit Sharma is set to partner with Shubman Gill in the opening slot, with Virat Kohli returning to his preferred number three position. Shreyas Iyer will occupy the number four spot, and KL Rahul will take up the fifth position. Additionally, it's expected that Hardik Pandya may replace either Prasidh Krishna or R Ashwin in the playing XI.

Speaking of the second ODI in Indore, both Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer lit up the scoreboard with magnificent centuries, helping India reach an impressive total of 399 runs. In reply, R. Ashwin emerged as the bowling hero, picking up three wickets while maintaining the best economy rate.

Team India is on a promising trajectory as they head into the ICC World Cup 2023, with the majority of their players finding their form once again, a notable example being Suryakumar Yadav, who has registered back-to-back half-centuries in the first two ODI matches. 

However, with KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav all in excellent form with the bat, the Indian management now faces a pleasant conundrum of deciding who to field in the playing XI in the prestigious event and who to exclude.