Australia skipper Aaron Finch backs Starc to fire in 3rd ODI, hints at change in top order

Australian skipper Aaron Finch has backed top-pacer Mitchell Starc to come off well in the third and final ODI of the series against India on Wednesday. A lethal speedster otherwise, Starc has been struggling to replicate his success against the Men in Blue even though his poor form has not impacted the hosts, with Hazlewood inflicting the most damage and carrying the pace battery on his shoulders. The Australian skipper stated that there's no 'panic' in the camp and the pace unit also believes that Starc has been doing well and will come back stronger. 

"He hasn't been at his very best, and you have to understand his standards are a lot higher than what you expect from most other people because of how dominant he's been over the last eight or nine years, especially in the white-ball formats. He'd love to be swinging the ball and getting it right early on, but the reality is when you're defending big totals and playing against good players, they're coming hard at you," Finch said at the pre-match press conference ahead of the third ODI.

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'We've got options'

Ever since the World Cup last year, Starc has found it difficult to roar at the opponents and has picked just 12 wickets while bleeding runs at an economy of 6.28 in 11 matches. In the ongoing series, Starc has picked up only one wicket so far and has given away 65 runs and 82 runs in the first and second ODI respectively. 

The Australian skipper also affirmed that there will be 'discussions' pertaining to any tactical changes required and hinted that there might be some experiment with the top order with David Warner being ruled out. "We haven't picked a team yet, but we've got a few options. Whether we go Wadey (Matthew Wade) in the side or Marnus comes up and opens the batting, Alex Carey has done a lot of it in the past," Finch said. 

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"That's the beauty of being two-nil up in the series, you can look to experiment if you want to do that or you can look to play the safe option," he added. 

Australia win ODI series

The hosts looked unstoppable right from the word 'Go' after winning the toss and electing to bat first. Skipper Finch himself led his team from the front with a 69-ball 60 and laid a solid foundation for the Aussies. He stitched a142-run opening stand with Warner (83). Steve Smith (64-ball 104) continued from where he had left off in the previous game as he registered back-to-back centuries in this series to power the hosts to a mammoth total of 389/4 in their 50 overs.

READ | Irfan Pathan Criticises Indian Bowlers For Lack Of 'consistency' In The First Two ODIs

In reply, the Men In Blue had got off to a good start, they ran out of fire and brimstone just like the last game by losing wickets at crucial points. All hopes pinned on Virat but a miscued pull shot ensured that he was deprived of a 44th ODI century after Moises Henriques took a screamer at mid-wicket as he walked back for an 87-ball 89. In the end, the visitors were restricted to 338/9 in their full quota of 50 overs as the five-time world champions registered a 51-run win to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

READ | Moises Henriques Deprives Virat Kohli Of His 44th ODI Century With A Stunning Catch