Ind vs Aus 3rd ODI: Why Team India can't afford to lose in Chennai

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India will be locking horns for the final time against Australia in the series as they meet for the 3rd ODI in Chennai on Wednesday (March 22).

After Team India's blockbuster start in Mumbai, Australia came back strongly to demolish the hosts in the last match in Visakhapatnam. The series is hanging on the balance and the decider in Chennai will determine the fate of the ODI series.

As team India prepare for their final battle against the Aussies, there are some components which are associated with their clash in Chennai. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid will have a lot to think about after their hapless performance in the last match. The Indian batting crumbled like a house of cards and then the bowling couldn't put any resistance as Australia chased the runs with 39 overs to spare.

IND vs AUS 3rd ODI: Why India can't afford to lose in Chennai

India suffered their biggest defeat in terms of balls to spare and have things to fix. Here are the reasons why Rohit Sharma and his troops can't afford to lose in Chennai-

Rohit Sharma's unbeaten captaincy Record

Rohit Sharma has led the Indian team well and is yet to lose a series at home since taking over the reins. Team India also have been outstanding in all formats at home and they can't let the streak end here. India's dominance over Australia in the last few years continued in the Border Gavaskar Series, where India beat the Aussies 2-1 to retain the prestigious trophy. And now a slip-up in the ODI format is simply not the order of the day for the men in blue.

Rohit, as captain of India, has won all four bilateral series at home and will be keen to continue the streak.

A series win ensures a dominant season

India's home season of 2023 will end in a fantastic fashion if they win in Chennai. India have taken part in 5 bilateral assignments since the turn of the year, and have won all of them. They won the ODI and T20I series and Sri Lanka and New Zealand respectively, and then conquered in the Test format against Australia. An ODI series win over Australia will ensure a dominant finish for the Indian team in this home season.

The next affair of the Indian team is the WTC Final against Australia in June, and a double over Australia here will definitely bolster the team going into the final in London.

A chance of redemption for the batters

Here is an important aspect of why India can't afford to lose in Chennai. And as entangled as these factors are, Indian batters need to redeem themselves in Chennai.

The batting has been abysmal in the first two matches. India lost their first four below 50 runs in consecutive matches, which has never happened for them at home. Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli have showed glimpses but none have managed to kick on. It was KL Rahul who took India out of trouble in the first match and played a gutsy knock to take them home. Suryakumar Yadav has managed to get out for golden ducks twice, and he will be eager to put things straight.

India need a turnaround at the Chennai ground

The Chennai crowd haven't seen a lot of success for the home team in their city. India have won 7 matches out of 14 that they have played and have lost 5 of those.

In the last meeting at this ground, India lost against West Indies back in 2019. But Rohit Sharma will be taking confidence from their last meeting against Australia at the same venue.

The Indian team dominated in their last ODI meet against the Aussies in Chennai back in 2017, when a rain-marred match saw India win the match by 26 runs. Hardik Pandya was the player of the match in that match and would be eager to emulate the same on Wednesday.

With the IPL approaching, India won't be playing ODI cricket for a long time now. Also with World Cup later this year, a winning end to the series will only make things rosy and team India can't afford to miss that.