In the blistering crucible of Rajkot’s scorching sun, Australian cricket sensation Steve Smith found himself engaged in a battle beyond the cricket pitch, as he grappled with the relentless heat.
The former Australian captain was seen battling dehydration amid blisters in Rajkot during the third ODI between India and Australia on Wednesday, September 27.
Smith struggles with heat
The visiting team then brought a chair and an ice pack for the batsman to cool him down during his drinks break. Smith sat on a chair in the middle of the ground and took drinks and iced bread in the heat of Rajkot.
When GOATs take a break 🕺🫶#IndiaCricketKaNayaGhar #TeamIndia #IDFCFirstBankODITrophy #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/yQ8V0jvrj2
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) September 27, 2023
Siraj dismisses Smith
The Australian was later dismissed by Mohammed Siraj in the 32nd over. Smith scored 74 off 61 deliveries.
Rohit, Virat makes comeback
Australian skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat against India. Indian skipper Rohit Sharma returned along with Virat Kohli and Kuldeep Yadav after being rested in the first two matches of the series. In other changes, Ravichandran Ashwin was replaced by Washington Sundar, while Ishan Kishan also missed out due to viral fever.
India 2-0 up in 3-match series
Australia made five changes to their XI with skipper Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh, and Glenn Maxwell while spinner Tanveer Sangha makes his debut. India won the first two ODIs to take an unbeaten 2–0 lead.
India vs Australia: Playing XI
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh, David Warner, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey (w), Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Tanveer Sangha, Josh Hazlewood.
