India vs Australia 2019:Australia To Miss Nathan Coulter-Nile For Remainder Of The Series

Australia will have to find out a way to deal with the Indian batsmen without Nathan Coulter-Nile in the final two ODIs.

Australia will be brimming with confidence after beating India in the third ODI against all the odds to keep the five-match series alive. The resurgent visitors came up with a clinical effort to end their four-match losing streak in ODIs against India. Asked to bat first, Australia piled up 313 for 5 in the allotted 50 overs. Usman Khawaja led the charge with his maiden ODI ton while Aaron Finch roared back to form with a fine knock of 93.

Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson and Adam Zampa then starred with the ball. The trio shared nine wickets between them to help the visitors bowl out India for 281 and win the game by 32 runs. Australia, however, would have feared the worst when they lost their in-form pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile before the game as the latter flew back home to attend the birth of his second child.

Coulter-Nile was set to depart after the third ODI. However, he had to leave in haste after receiving some urgent messages from home. Australia had to then include Richardson in the playing eleven and the bowler justified the faith by taking 3 wickets.  But while the tourists did not miss Coulter-Nile much in the third ODI, they can rue his absence in the remainder of the series. Cricket Australia has confirmed the right-arm pacer will miss the remaining two games.

Before departing, Coulter-Nile had played in all four matches on the tour of India and was player of the match for his 3-26 in the thrilling final-ball win in the opening T20 in Vizag.

He will now join the team in UAE where Australia will play five ODIs against Pakistan, starting on March 22. Australia, nonetheless, will be looking to make the most of their momentum and win the fourth ODI on Sunday to stay alive in the series. The last time Australia beat India three times in a row on Indian soil in the 50-over format was in late 2003.