India’s tour of Australia 2025, 3rd ODI preview: Men in Blue aim for morale-boosting win in Sydney
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could likely feature in their final ODI in Australia.
24 October, 2025
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The Indian men’s cricket team will take on Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, October 25, for the final match of the three-match ODI series. India suffered a two-wicket defeat at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, resulting in the hosts securing an unassailable 2-0 lead.
Shubman Gill and co. now will play in Sydney, aiming to avoid a series clean sweep by the Aussies.
India have been beaten in their last three ODIs at the SCG against Australia, with their last win at the venue in this format coming in a remarkable chase of 331 back in 2016, which was spearheaded by Rohit Sharma (99 off 108) and Manish Pandey (104* off 81).
Notably, Rohit has scored the most runs by an Indian in ODIs at SCG, scoring 333 in just five matches, including a stunning 129-ball 133 on his last appearance at the venue in 2019. Virat Kohli also made 89 runs off 87 balls in his latest ODI there in 2020.
Ro-Ko, both, have notched well over 1300 ODI runs each in Australia. With the duo having retired from Tests and T20Is, the match on Saturday could be their final match in Australia.
While Rohit will aim to build on his 97-ball 73 in Adelaide, Kohli will be keen on ending his run-drought on this tour with a good performance in Sydney.
Meanwhile, ahead of the third ODI, the hosts have made changes in their squad with a view to their upcoming Ashes series, with Marnus Labuschagne being replaced by Jack Edwards and Matthew Kuhnemann.
Players to watch out for
Rohit Sharma: The former Indian captain batted his way back into form at the Adelaide Oval with a superb 73. Rohit has slammed 1409 runs in 32 matches Down Under at an average of 52.18.
With five centuries and five fifties in Australia, he boasts an impressive record to build on Saturday. The Hitman is also only six sixes away from becoming the player with the most sixes in men’s ODI history, a record that could be shattered in Sydney.
Axar Patel: With 75 runs and two wickets in the first two ODIs, Axar has been one of the more impressive players for India on the tour so far. He has been in top form in the format this year with a batting average of 36.25 and a bowling economy rate of 4.58.
Australia vs India head-to-head in ODI cricket
Australia have won 86 of the 154 ODIs against India so far. The Men in Blue, on the other hand, have clinched 58 victories with 10 matches ending without a result.
Australia’s ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe, Matt Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Jack Edwards
Where to watch India’s tour of Australia 2025 live in India
The third ODI begins at 9:00 AM IST on October 25. Fans in India can catch the action live on Star Sports channels and stream it via JioHotstar.
