Australia beat India by 21 runs to clinch the series 2-1 (AP Photo)
Australia made a spectacular comeback by winning the last two matches to win the 3-match series 2-1. With this remarkable win, Australia overtook India to become the No.1 team in the ICC ODI rankings
Team India lost the third and final ODI against Australia by 21 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. After going 1-0 down in the series, the Steve Smith-led side made a stunning comeback, winning the last two matches to clinch the 3-match series 2-1. With this remarkable win, Australia overtook India to become the No. 1 team in the ICC ODI rankings.
india vs australia 3rd odi highlights
Chasing a target of 270, India got off to a good start with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill hitting it hard against the Australian bowling attack. He hit fours and sixes in the first 8 overs to bring up a fifty-run partnership. But just an over later, the Aussies got an early breakthrough when Sean Abbott removed the Indian skipper for 30. The opening partnership of 65 dissolved with the focus light shifting on Virat Kohli.
India suffered another 13-run blow as Kohli started the chaseth Above. Adam Zampa came in to bowl his third over and caught Shubman Gill in front. It was not given initially by the on-field umpire but the Australians went for DRS which helps them take another step closer to victory.
The match proved to be an anti-climax in the last 15 overs as Australian spinners Adam Zampa (4/45) and Ashton Agar (2/41 in 10 overs) scalped six Indian wickets, conceding only 86 runs. 20 overs between them.
The pitch at Chepauk slowed down and after the 35th over of the Indian innings, hitting big strokes became very difficult.
Once Zampa bowled a few googlies to Hardik Pandya (40 off 40 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (1 off 33 balls) to hit them against the turn, the writing was on the wall.
This was Zampa’s best performance against India and he was definitely the hero for the Aussies.
Incidentally, Australia was the last international team to beat India in a bilateral ODI series in 2019. Then the score-line was 3-2. Since that series defeat four years ago, India have won seven consecutive bilateral ODIs at home.
In three consecutive matches, the Indian top order has betrayed and that too in home conditions. Had Australia scored at least 235 in the opening ODI, they could have been whitewashed 3–0 in the series.
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The highest run scorer for India in the series was KL Rahul who scored 116 runs and that tells the tale.
Between overs 35 and 43, India could manage only 31 runs and it was from here that the game turned.
At 146 for 2, India had collapsed to 185 for 6 when Pandya and Jadeja joined forces with the Australian close fielders to make it infinitely more difficult.
But Pandya, however, maintained a strike rate of over 100 despite tight bowling by the opposition.
Earlier, a brilliant opening spell from Pandya and a dominating effort from Kuldeep Yadav gave the Australians a tough fight before the Aussies were bundled out for 269 in 49 overs electing to bat first.
Five wickets added 131 runs to keep Australia in the game.
While Pandya (3/44 in 8 overs) cleaned up the top half, Kuldeep’s (3/56 in 10 overs) rhythm and trickery on a helpful Chennai track was the biggest achievement as the latter ball to remove Carry was the key of the series. The ball was ,
(With PTI inputs)
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