Melbourne: A self-assured Team India will be eyeing a maiden bilateral One-day International (ODI) series triumph on Australian soil after their historic Test conquest when they take on the hosts in the tour finale at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday. The three-match series is currently tied at 1-1 after Australia won the first ODI in Sydney by 34 runs and India won the second in Adelaide by six wickets. India have never won a bilateral ODI series on Australian soil, and their only series wins in the 50-over format came in 1985 (World Championship of Cricket) and 2008 (CB Series).
Interestingly, the ongoing three-match affair is only the second bilateral ODI series India have played in Australia, losing 4-1 in 2016.
Also, by winning the third ODI in Melbourne, India will finish the current 2018-19 tour without losing a series Down Under.
India started their tour with a three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series that ended in a 1-1 draw. It was followed by a historic first-ever Test series win for India on Australian soil.
Virat Kohli became the first Indian and Asian captain to win a Test series in Australia as the visitors defeated the hosts by a 2-1 margin.
While India will take winning momentum into the third ODI, their only worry at the moment is the fifth bowling option.
So far in the series, senior pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami have been impressive, while the two left-arm spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja have provided control and breakthroughs in the middle overs. In the absence of Hardik Pandya, India have used full-time seamers as their fifth bowling option both at the Sydney Cricket Ground and the Adelaide Oval.
The hosts will be worried about lack of runs from their opening duo, Finch and Alex Carey, with their middle-order having to do the bull work in the last two matches.
Australia have won nine out of the 14 ODIs played against India at the MCG, and it should inspire them on Friday as they are still on the cusp of winning their first ODI series since January 2017.
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