Team India plagued with injuries ahead of 3rd ODI

As tension rises around the IND vs  Austra3rd ODI, injury concerns are keeping captain Virat Kohli worried going into the series decider. As India gets ready for the Sunday cracker against the Aussies in Bengaluru, there are chances that the hosts might have to without the services of vice-captain Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant. The official statement by BCCI confirmed the recovery of the trio but the chances of being fit for the match is still doubtful.

India sweat over the fitness of the openers

All the three players were not completely fit on Saturday and the decision will be taken before the match starts. Rohit Sharma, who is just four runs away from 9,000 ODI runs, was injured during Australia’s run chase in the second ODI in Rajkot. After diving to save a boundary, Sharma immediately called for help and held his shoulder in pain. The opener was pulled out of the match and asked not to field any further. Virat Kohli after the match said that the team management will look into what happened with Rohit but seemed confident regarding his deputy’s availability.

Shikhar Dhawan, on the other hand, got stuck in his rib cage during his match-winning knock of 96 runs at Rajkot. Dhawan was advised not to take the field during Australia’s chase. There are chances that both the openers could be fit and available for the final match but there hasn’t been any confirmation from the team management. If they were to miss the match, India would find themselves in a lot of worries.

Will Pant be back for the third ODI?

Indian wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant hasn’t been announced as fully fit either. Pant suffered a concussion after he was hit by a bouncer in the first ODI. KL Rahul replaced him as the keeper in the second match while KS Bharat was called in as a replacement cover. It would be interested to see if India stick to Rahul, who smashed a brilliant 80 from just 52 balls in the previous match or bring back Pant, provided he is fit.