Both Australia and India made several changes for the third and final ODI in Rajkot
Big guns return as Australia near full strength
Australia have put out their strongest side since the Ashes as they seek a consolation win in their last one-day international before the World Cup.
Captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell and Mitch Marsh return as Australia won the toss and elected to bat first at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
India welcome back their own captain Rohit Sharma, alongside five other changes with Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Mohammed Siraj also coming into the side that won comfortably in Indore to take an unassailable lead in the three-game series.
Australia XI: David Warner, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Tanveer Sangha, Josh Hazlewood
India XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
While Cummins' side no doubt has eyes on the bigger picture of the World Cup that begins in just over a week, Australia will be eager to avoid a sixth-straight defeat on the 50-over format for the first time in five years.
The visitors made five changes from the team that lost by 99 runs in Indore on Sunday with 21-year-old leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha handed a second ODI cap with Adam Zampa rested.
Matt Short, Josh Inglis and Sean Abbott miss out from the team that played at Holkar Stadium on Sunday, with Spencer Johnson also making way after returning home with a hamstring injury.
It will be Starc's first match since picking up a shoulder and subsequent groin injury in the fifth Ashes Test, while Maxwell makes his comeback from leg soreness and following the birth of his first child.
While both sides have two 50-over warm-up matches where all 15 squad members can participate to come before facing off in Chennai on October 8, this will be their last match with ODI status before the tournament gets underway.
Australia's line-up today closely resembles their preferred method in the 50-over format across the past 12 months with four specialist bowlers and three allrounders in Marsh, Maxwell and Cameron Green.
"It's been quite an extended group; we've managed guys through South Africa and then again through this series," Starc said yesterday ahead of his comeback.
"But we've got three more games now before game one of the World Cup to settle on how our XI looks and these games prior to the World Cup have given us a bit of an indication of where we want to head."
India meanwhile have had a virus running through their camp which limited the hosts to 13 available players for the third match of the series.
The red-hot Shubman Gill has been rested after scores of 74 and 104 in the series, as has Mohammed Shami after his 5-51 in the series opener in Mohali.
Shardul Thakur will also sit out the final ODI and Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel will miss the entire three-match series after initially being named in the squad for this match.
Axar missed the Asia Cup final due to a quadriceps strain but India remain hopeful he will be fit in time for their World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai on October 8.
"There's a lot of uncertainty in the team at this point, which we cannot help," Rohit said in his pre-match press conference.
"But looking at the next few weeks, it's quite important for us to look after the players and their wellbeing.
"It's OK for them to be home at this point in time, but the reason being we want everybody to be fresh during the World Cup."
2023 Qantas Tour of India
September 22: India win by five wickets
September 24: India won by 99 runs (DLS method)
September 27: Third ODI, Rajkot (D/N), 6pm AEST
Australia ODI squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa
India squad for first two ODIs: KL Rahul (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan , Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
India squad for the third ODI: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj