IND vs AUS: Shubman Gill And Shardul Thakur To be Rested For Third ODI In Rajkot, Says Report

Shubman Gill and Shardul Thakur will be rested for the upcoming third ODI against Australia in Rajkot, according to a report. They will rejoin the team in Guwahati as India embarks on their ODI World Cup journey.

Regarding Gill's recent performance, he notched up a century in the second ODI against Australia in Indore, marking his sixth century and fifth of the year. Gill's impressive record includes two centuries against New Zealand and one each against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Australia in 2023.

He has also achieved a T20I century this year. Currently, Shubman Gill leads the charts as the top run-scorer in ODIs for 2023, amassing 1230 runs in 20 innings, boasting an impressive average of 72.35 and a strike rate of 105.03.

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With a three match ODI series against South Africa this year, along with the World Cup coming up, Gill will be aiming to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most runs in a calendar year. In 1998, Sachin scored 1894 runs in 33 innings, with astonishing nine centuries.

On the other hand, Thakur has participated in 44 ODI matches throughout his career. During this time, he has successfully taken 63 wickets, maintaining an average of 30.35. He has conceded approximately 6.24 runs per over, and his best individual performance was when he achieved figures of 4 for 37 against West Indies.

After the second ODI, Gill expressed his joy on hitting the six against Cameron Green. “I think the six against Green down the ground, it was really special for me,” he said.

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This decision to rest key players is part of the team management's ongoing workload management strategy. It's worth noting that both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were rested from the first two ODIs, and they will be rejoining the team in Rajkot.

Additionally, Jasprit Bumrah was given a break from the second ODI to spend time with his family, with Mukesh Kumar stepping in as his replacement for that match. Bumrah is set to return to the team for the final ODI in Rajkot.

“He has gone to visit his family and given a short break by the team management. Fast bowler Mukesh Kumar has joined the team as Bumrah’s replacement for the 2nd ODI. Bumrah will join the team for the final ODI in Rajkot,” BCCI earlier posted on X.

India will be heading to Rajkot for their last ODI against Australia on September 27.