No Virat Kohli but Washington Sundar opened with Rohit Sharma in the ongoing third ODI against Australia in Rajkot, as Ishan Kishan is not part of the playing XI due to viral. The southpaw was also set to open alongside Rohit Sharma in the third and final ODI, as Shubman Gill was rested. However, an untimely illness has put Kishan out of the team. Kohli, who usually bats at number three, will now open with team India skipper Rohit.
BCCI put out a tweet mentioning Kishan’s unavailability for the third ODI. It also stated that four local state players – Dharmendra Jadeja, Prerak Mankad, Vishwaraj Jadeja, and Harvik Desai will support the team for drinks and fielding throughout the match.
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
KL Rahul is also one of the designated openers, however the wicketkeeper batter is set to bat in the middle order, owing to his good numbers in that position in ODI cricket for last two years.
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Virat Kohli back as opener in ODIs, here are stats of Kohli the opening batter
In a career spanning 12-plus years, Kohli has opened only seven times in ODIs. The right-hand batter averages a dismal 23.71, scoring just 166 runs. The former India captain last opened during the series against Bangladesh in 2022. However, he was dismissed for just five runs.
