JOIN USRampant Aussies clinch the 3rd ODI against India
India’s bowlers produced yet another disappointing performance to allow Australia clinch the five-match ODI series by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead as they cruised to a three-wicket victory in the third match despite a heroic century by Virat Kohli.
Batting first, India scored a decent 295 for six in 50 overs with Kohli scoring a run-a-ball 117 en route his 24th ODI century.
In reply, Australia never looked in trouble as they knocked off the required runs with 1.1 overs still remaining.
Glenn Maxwell put paid to India’s hopes of an elusive win with a superlative 96 off 83 balls that had eight fours and three sixes as the bowlers once again undid the valiant effort from the batting unit. The fielding was also not up to the mark at times.
Umesh Yadav (2/68 in 9.5 overs), Barinder Sran (0/63 in 8 overs) and Ishant Sharma (2/53 in 10 overs) found it difficult to contain the batsman.
Aaron Finch (21 runs, 23 balls, 3 fours) and Shaun Marsh (62 runs, 76 balls, 6 fours) started off at almost six runs per over and the rate didn’t come down even with early bowling changes.
Debutant Gurkeerat Singh Mann dropped Finch in the 6th over, with the batsman on 20. But it didn’t prove costly with Finch caught behind in the 8th over off Ishant. Steve Smith (41 runs, 45 balls, 5 fours) then came to the crease and started off without feeling any pressure.
He added 64 runs with Marsh, who scored second consecutive half-century playing in place of David Warner, and the 100-mark coming up breezily in the 16th over. Australia were keeping abreast of the run-rate, and Smith was into his forties in the blink of an eye.
Against the run of play then, in the 19th over, Ravindra Jadeja (2/49) got one to spin away from him, and he edged it to slip with Ajinkya Rahane happily accepting the catch. His dismissal brought India back into the game with George Bailey (23) stumped in the 27th over.
Dhoni showed another quick thinking and brilliant glove-work moment when he ran out Mitchell Marsh (17) off a Yadav throw in the 36th over. In between, Shaun Marsh was out caught pulling off Ishant in the 30th over. And when Matthew Wade (6) holed out against the same bowler in the 39th over, Australia were reduced to 215/6.
But Maxwell then played a superb hand to score his 13th ODI fifty. In doing so, he put on 80 runs off just 63 balls for the 7th wicket with James Faulkner (21) and over by over, the hosts edged home to a win.
Maxwell had reached his half-century in the 40th over, run-a-ball and there was an element of doubt about a faint edge on the snickometer in that same over.
But then he took 15 runs off the 43rd over by Yadav changing the momentum of the game. Thereafter, the equation came down to a very manageable run-a-ball, and the duo took Australia home — and to the series win — without much fuss.
Earlier, Kohli’s hundred guided India to competitive total. He put on 119 runs with Shikhar Dhawan (68, 91b, 9x4) and another 109 runs with Ajinkya Rahane (50, 55b, 4x4, 1x6), but the Men in Blue had to settle for a below-par score.
score board
INDIA
Sharma c Wade b Richardson 6
Dhawan b Hastings 68
Kohli c Bailey b Hastings 117
Rahane c Maxwell b Hastings 50
Dhoni c Maxwell b Hastings 23
Gurkeerat b Faulkner 8
Jadeja (not out) 6
Rishi (not out) 3
Extras (LB- 5, W-9) 14
Total (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) 295
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-134, 3-243, 4-265, 5-274, 6-288.
Bowling: Richardson 10-0-48-1, Hastings 10-0-58-4, Faulkner 10-0-63-1, Boland 9-0-63-0, Maxwell 9-0-46-0, Mitchell 2-0-12-0
AUSTRALIA
Marsh c Dhoni b Ishant 62
Finch c Dhoni b Yadav 21
Smith c Rahane b Jadeja 41
Bailey st Dhoni b Jadeja 23
Maxwell c Dhawan b Yadav 96
Mitchell (run out) 17
Wade c Dhawan b Ishant 6
Faulkner (not out) 21
Hastings (not out) 0
Extras (LB-3, W-5, NB-1) 9
Total (for 7 wkts, 48.5 overs) 296
Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-112, 3-150, 4-167, 5-204, 6-215, 7-295. Bowling: Yadav 9.5-0-68-2, Sran 8-0-63-0, Ishant 10-0-53-2, Rishi 6-0-33-0, Gurkeerat 5-0-27-0, Jadeja 10-0-49-2.