Shining sun, gentle breeze, excited fans in Sydney await India's third ODI against Australia

Sydney [Australia], October 24 (ANI): A blue sky, gleaming sun and a gentle breeze, taking clouds away from the famous Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), is the serene view that awaits the Indian team on the eve of their last ODI against Australia.

The series is done and dusted with Australia racing to an unassailable 2-0 lead following their narrow two-wicket triumph in the second ODI in Adelaide. Even though the last contest has turned into a dead rubber, Indian fans remain excited about the fixture and potentially the last chance to see batting stalwart Virat Kohli at the SCG on Saturday.

"I am very excited to see the match, and I really hope that India wins tomorrow," Prachi, a young fan, said while speaking to ANI on the outskirts of the SCG.

Speculations have pointed towards the last ODI potentially turning out to be Virat's last dance in the international circuit. During his illustrious career he has accomplished numerous accolades but the 36-year-old is yet to hit form this series and was dismissed for two ducks on the trot for the first time.

Virat, who holds the record for the most centuries in the 50-over format, floundered during the second ODI in Adelaide, a venue where scoring runs has come naturally to him. After Xavier Bartlett pinned him in front of the stumps for a four-ball duck, he took off his gloves on the way back to the dugout and waved goodbye to the Adelaide crowd.

His gesture sparked rumours and speculation about his potential retirement from ODIs, which would mark the end of an era-defining stint with the Indian team. With Virat pulling the plug on his T20I and Test career, a fan hopes he continues to dazzle in the ODIs.

"I feel pretty excited. Virat Kohli is my favourite player. I am excited to see him tomorrow. I hope that he does not retire," a fan said while speaking to ANI outside the stadium.

Australia's squad for third ODI: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey (wk), Cooper Connolly, Jack Edwards, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitchell Owen, Josh Philippe (wk), Matt Renshaw, Matthew Short, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa

India's ODI squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal. (ANI)

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