Nitish Kumar Reddy is likely to retain his place in the playing XI for the third and final ODI of the series against Australia. If Kuldeep Yadav is picked as the wrist spinner by replacing the spin bowling all-rounder in Washington Sundar, it is important to have a seam bowling all-rounder not only to add depth to the batting but also to provide an additional bowling option.
Team India may not risk going with three pacers, one spin bowling all-rounder, and one spin specialist, as it would leave the side short of batting depth and bowling flexibility. Therefore, Dhruv Jurel may not get to play in the third ODI as well, since the team will prioritize maintaining the balance between batting and bowling options, ensuring both stability in the middle-order and variety in the bowling attack for the Sydney clash.
India’s Likely Playing XI for Sydney ODI: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh