AUS vs IND: 3rd ODI Review – India finish the ODI series on a winning note

India have finally managed to beat Australia and register a consolation victory to lose the series by 2-1. Earlier, the visitors won the toss and opted to bat first hoping to post a mammoth total on the board. However, the pitch wasn’t as flat and India lost wickets at regular intervals. Virat Kohli, however, batted well as he scored yet another half-century.

But when he got out, India had scored only 152 runs and lost five wickets after 32 overs. This is when Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja joined hands and made sure the team made a comeback. They added 150 runs for the sixth as India smashed 302 runs after 50 overs.

Pandya-Jadeja show

The chase wasn’t as easy with the pitch not being flat. And Australia lost Marnus Labuschagne early. It was a miracle as Steve Smith endured a rare failure and the middle-order couldn’t stand up in the chase. Skipper Aaron Finch batted well though scoring 75 runs. However, when he got out, the hosts had only mustered 123 runs.

The rest of the batsmen could only muster 20s but Glenn Maxwell came out and played freely. He smashed his third consecutive half-century to keep Australia in the hunt. But once he got out, India strangled Australia to bowl them out in the final over and seal the game by 13 runs.

Turning Points 

Pandya-Jadeja partnership:

Well, India wouldn’t have been able to even compete if not for their all-round duo’s exceptional batting. They came together at 152/5 and first rebuilt the Indian innings. In the last 10 overs then they took the attack to the opposition to leave them flustered. Pandya and Jadeja both enjoyed their stay in the middle and targeted the relatively inexperienced bowling attack. They added an unbeaten 150 and the partnership turned out to be crucial in the context of the game.

Maxwell’s wicket:

Glenn Maxwell was looking dangerous once again and after churning out 18 runs in the 44th over of the innings, the equation came down to 39 off six overs. It was very much manageable as India desperately needed a wicket. This is when Kohli went to his strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah and he didn’t disappoint. Bumrah bowled a searing yorker as Maxwell tried to make room and smack him only to see his stumps shattered. Australia struggled to score even singles since then to eventually fall short.

Milestones achieved

– Virat Kohli completed 12000 ODI runs in this game.

– Glenn Maxwell’s series strike-rate of 194.18 is the second-best ever in this format.

Way Ahead

Australia have won this ODI series by 2-1 and both the teams now will face each other in the three-match T20I series starting from Friday at the same venue.