Fantasy: Put your money on Gill, Starc

India and Australia will come face to face against each other in Chennai for one last time on this 41-day tour, with the ODI series on the line. Thanks to KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja, India managed to survive Mitchell Starc’s remarkable new-ball spell in the first ODI, but it wasn’t the case in the second encounter. 

The left-arm paceman wreaked havoc in Vizag, picking four wickets inside 10 overs before finishing with figures of 5/53. The Men in Blue were bundled out for just 117 in 26 overs, which Australia hunted down with 39 overs and 10 wickets to spare. This was India’s heaviest defeat - in terms of balls remaining - and Australia’s third-biggest win in ODIs. 

Pitch and conditions

It’s been a while since we have seen ODI cricket being played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. 1192 days to be exact. Starc has managed to extract a good amount of swing in the first two matches, but that might not be the case in Chennai. 

Historically, the venue has proved to be a paradise for spinners, and it could be Adam Zampa troubling Indian batters in the decider. The legspinner is yet to pick up a wicket in this series but could make an impact on the sluggish surface on offer in Chennai. 

There have been only three List A games played at this venue since 2022 - India A vs New Zealand A in September 2022. It was Kuldeep Yadav who scalped the most number of wickets, while Rahul Chahar also had a good series.  

Suggested teams

While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.

Captaincy suggestions

For small leagues: Shubman Gill (c), Mitchell Starc (vc)

For grand leagues: Mitchell Marsh (c), KL Rahul (vc)

Stats that matter

Eight wickets in two games at an average of 12.75 and a strike rate of 13.3, Starc has made Indian batters dance to his tune in this series, especially with the new ball. The left-arm seamer has a stunning record in the powerplay since 2021 (19 wickets in 13 matches @ 10.9 and a strike rate of 16.1) and could once again wreak havoc early in the innings.

With scores of 20 and 0, Shubman Gill is yet to make a mark in this series, but the young opener has been superb in this format for India. The right-hander is the only batter to score over 1000 runs in ODI cricket since 2022 (among Test-playing nations). He has scored 1225 runs at an average of 76.56, including nine 50+ scores in 19 innings. 

Zampa has dismissed Virat Kohli five times, Rohit Sharma four times and KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya thrice each in 50-over cricket. The Chennai surface could make him a serious threat.

In 11 ODIs since 2022, Travis Head has hammered 606 runs at an average of 67.33 and a strike rate of 114.3.

Grand League punts

David Warner missed the first two ODIs due to a corked quad, but Mitchell Marsh has grabbed that opening spot with both hands. The 31-year-old smoked 81 off 65 in the first ODI in Mumbai and then clobbered a 36-ball 66* in Vizag to make a mockery of India’s small target. 

KL Rahul at No. 5 has been a consistent performer. The keeper-batter has 742 runs in 18 innings at an average of 53 and a strike rate of close to 100. 

Probable XIs

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar/Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami/Jaydev Unadkat.

Australia: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell (subject to fitness)/Nathan Ellis, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa.