Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma To Open In Rajkot As BCCI Releases Team Sheet

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (AP Photo)

Indian captain Rohit Sharma and his fellow senior mate Virat Kohli returned to the team’s playing XI for the third match of their three-match series against Australia in Rajkot. It appears that the two batting legends will be opening the innings for Team India, in a bid to give themselves some time at the crease in their final Pre-World Cup 2023 outing.

Both Sharma and Kohli had earlier opted themselves out of the playing XI from the first ODIs, with KL Rahul donning the leadership role instead. Despite their absence, the ‘Men in Blue’ walloped the Australians with convincing margins in Mohali and Indore to seal the series with a game to spare.

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli list themselves as openers

Batting prodigy Ruturaj Gaikwad opened the Indian innings in the first two matches of the series with Shubman Gill, thus filling in for regular opener Rohit Sharma. While Gaikwad is slated to join the Indian team for the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Gill was given a breather from the playing XI for the dead rubber.

With the series already in the pocket, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma is back to his usual role and has listed Virat Kohli as his new opening partner in the team’s final pre-World Cup 2023 game.

India’s team sheet for 3rd ODI against Australia:

In the meantime, Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bat first. His opener David Warner listed his third successive half-century of the series, thus signalling his return to form just in time for the forthcoming 2023 World Cup in India.

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