In the third and final ODI match of the bilateral series, Australia defeated India by 66 runs at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.
Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. Under the extreme heat, both Aussie openers, David Warner (56) and Mitchell Marsh (96), showcased their best tonight with the willow which gave the visitors a perfect start. While Warner hit his half-century, which included six fours and four sixes straight from the word go, Marsh got going after the former’s wicket and scored 13 fours and three sixes. Steve Smith (74) and Marnus Labuschagne (72) also scored half-centuries, which then enhanced Australia’s score massively in the middle overs. In the end, Alex Carey and Pat Cummins also got a few runs under their belt, which took Australia’s score to a massive 352/7.
In the chase, Rohit Sharma (81) was back in the side and gracefully once again provided India with a strong start. With five fours and six sixes, the skipper played at a strike rate of over 140, which was then backed by Virat Kohli‘s (56) decent fifty. Shreyas Iyer (48), KL Rahul (26) and Ravindra Jadeja (17) also looked good, but they couldn’t last long. Team India got bowled out for 286 with two balls to go.
While defending, Glenn Maxwell grabbed four wickets tonight, which also happened to be his best figures in the ODI format, courtesy of his proper off-spin deliveries, which were simple and accurate. Josh Hazelwood also got two wickets, while one wicket each was grabbed by Tanveer Sangha, Cameron Green, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc.
With the ball for India, Jasprit Bumrah scalped three wickets, though he gave away too many runs while Kuldeep Yadav also took two wickets. Along with them, one wicket each was also picked up by Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna.
Maxwell was adjudged Player of the Match for his brilliant batting performance. With this win, Australia have managed to avoid a whitewash against the home side and will also go into the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 with a positive mindset.
Scorecard:
Australia: 352/7, Overs 50, Mitchell Marsh 96, Jasprit Bumrah 3/81
India: 286/10, Overs 49.4, Rohit Sharma 81, Glenn Maxwell 4/40