Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has predicted that Virat Kohli will top the run charts, while Josh Hazlewood is likely to lead the wicket-takers in the series-deciding match. The third ODI is set for Saturday, October 25, at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Speaking on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast on Friday, October 24, Clarke, 44, mentioned that Australia is expected to field both Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood, highlighting Hazlewood as the likely highest wicket-taker of the match. Despite Kohli’s poor start to the series, with ducks in the first two games, Clarke backed the 36-year-old to score the most runs. He added:
“I’m going to say they’ll stick with Starc and Hazlewood, and I’ll go with Joshy for leading wicket-taker in the game. I’ve gone with Virat so far; he’s got two ducks. I’m going to go with Virat Kohli for leading run-scorer in this game. Hazlewood leading wickets, and Virat leading run-scorer.”
Michael Clarke also shared his anticipation for an exciting match, predicting an Indian victory that he feels will strengthen the Men in Blue’s confidence ahead of the upcoming T20I series. He added:
“And I’m going to say India win, so 2-1 India wins. I predicted 2-1 Australia, so I don’t mind if India wins this game, one of my predictions, right? But yeah, look, I just hope it’s a really good game of one-day cricket. India won’t want to go home without a win, and like I say, you’re leading into the T20s as well, so a lot of the players will go into that format wanting to take some confidence. I’m hoping it’s a good game,” he added.
Virat Kohli’s ODI Record At The SCG
Virat Kohli will be eager to find form in the final ODI against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground after being dismissed for ducks in back-to-back matches. However, his record at the SCG has been underwhelming; across seven ODIs at the venue, he has managed just 146 runs at an average of 24.33 and a strike rate of 82.95, with only one fifty to his name.
In contrast, Kohli’s overall ODI record in Australia is far more impressive. In 31 matches, he has scored 1,327 runs at an average of 47.39 and a strike rate of 88.34, including six fifties and five centuries.
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