Australia pacer Mitchell Starc is nursing a back and rib niggle, captain Aaron Finch revealed on Wednesday after the pacer was not named in the playing XI for the third and final ODI against India at the Manuka Oval, Canberra. Starc, who struggled in the first two matches of the ongoing ODI series, joined David Warner in the injury room.

“Starcy has got a little bit of a back and a rib niggle. The medical staff think he will benefit from a few days off,” Finch said at the toss.

In the first two ODIs in Sydney, Starc took just one wicket for 147 runs. He conceded a whopping 20 runs, bowling four wides and a no-ball, in the opening over in the first match.

Australia have already sealed the series after clinching the first two games in Sydney. The ODIs will be followed by three T20 Internationals starting Friday.

In third ODI, Hardik Pandya played trademark swashbuckling innings under pressure in the company of Ravindra Jadeja as a late flourish propelled India to 302/5 in the third ODI against Australia in Canberra.

Pandya hit an unbeaten 92 off 76 balls and with Jadeja – 66 not out off 50 balls, helped India make a stunning recovery after the team struggled for runs for the most part of the innings. Skipper Virat Kohli’s fighting half-century was another knock of significance in the visiting team’s effort.

Coming together in the 32nd over, Pandya and Jadeja stitched 150 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket to change the complexion of the game, which would make no difference to the final score-line as Australia have already sealed it with back-to-back wins in Sydney.

It looked like India would barely reach 250 but Pandya and Jadeja made it a different story. The duo took some time to settle down before opening the floodgates of boundaries. They scored 53 runs from the 46th to 48th over. In all, 76 runs came from the last five overs.

Pandya’s innings had seven fours and one six while Jadeja was at his best, hitting five boundaries and three sixes.

Except for Kohli, Pandya and Jadeja, other batsmen struggled on a flat track after India opted to bat.