Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah Set For Return As India Eye 'Rare First' Against Australia In 3rd ODI

Skipper Rohit Sharma would fancy a perfect culmination to the Indian team's World Cup preparations as hosts eye a rare clean sweep of Australia in the third and final ODI here on Wednesday. Never before in the history have India whitewashed Australia in the ODI format. In fact, neither of them have achieved such a result, home or away, irrespective of the number of matches played in a series. Given how perfectly everything has panned out for the World Cup hosts in the lead up to the mega tournament, it would only be fitting that India finish with a deserving 3-0 score-line.

Dominant Indian team, despite the absence of its front-line players and still tinkering with playing combinations to make sure every member has had game-time under their belt, are in pole position to record a fourth consecutive ODI win before the quadrennial event begins.

If they manage to clinch a 3-0 win, India would also have taken a massive upper-hand over the five-time world champions Australia before the two teams meet again in Chennai on October 8 for their World Cup opener.

It will be no exaggeration in saying India have battered Australia in the first two ODIs despite both the rivals making plenty of changes to keep their top guns fresh, while also putting miles in the legs of those who would not usually feature in first-choice XIs.

There could, however, be some respite for the Australian bowlers as India have rested their young gun Shubman Gill for the final ODI after his 74 and 104 in the first two games, alongwith Shardul Thakur.

In the 50-overs World Cup year, Gill is the only batter in the format with a thousand runs and counting — 1,230 runs to be precise at a staggering average of 72.35 — and his absence from the final game would