Australia has completed its tour of India in beautiful style, reclaiming the world No. 1 rating with a 21-run win within the third ODI.
Spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar turned the decider in Chennai handy India its first collection defeat at house since an Usman Khawaja-led Aussie victory in 2019.
After bowling the guests out for 269 in 49 overs, the hosts had the match in hand with Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya on the crease at 4/185, needing lower than a run a ball to say victory.
However a double strike from Agar turned the match. First he eliminated in-form Kohli (54) earlier than the world’s top-rated Twenty20 batter Suryakumar Yadav strolled to the crease with enormous strain on his place within the aspect.
Yadav had been trabbed LBW by Mitchell Starc with the primary balls he confronted within the first and second ODIs — and in embarrassing scenes was unable to keep away from the identical destiny as Agar struck immeidately.
Yadav was clear bowled for his third consecutive golden duck and India’s run chase by no means recovered. Zampa claimed 4 wickets because the hosts had been knocked over for 248 within the final over.
The two-1 win within the collection noticed Australia reclaim the world primary ODI rating and was essential apply on South Asian pitches earlier than the World Cup in India later this yr.
The collection was one other enormous feather within the cap of Steve Smith as captain, a reminder Mitchell Starc is as fearsome as an white ball bowler on the earth and a sign a Mitchell Marsh-Travis Head mixture may be the answer on the prime of the order.
Stand-in-captain Smith received the toss and selected to bat first within the series-decider.
India bowled out Australia for 269 and had been cruising within the first 10 overs of their chase earlier than skipper Rohit Sharma fell after a 17-ball 30 with the workforce at 65-1.
Sharma’s in-form opening associate Shubman Gill fell after a gentle 49-ball 37 to leg-spinner Zampa.
India’s star batters Kohli and KL Rahul struck a busy 69-run partnership earlier than Rahul fell to Zampa for 32.
The hosts’ in any other case dependable lower-middle order supplied little resistance. All-rounders Hardik Pandya (40) and Ravindra Jadeja (18) additionally fell to Zampa, who completed with 4-45 in his 10-over spell.
Zampa was named participant of the match however mentioned his spin-partner Agar, who completed with 2-41, really “modified the sport”.
“I in all probability don’t suppose I deserve this one tonight to be trustworthy,” Zampa mentioned after the sport.
“Kudos to the blokes who bowled earlier than me as nicely … We at all times have a variety of belief in one another, belief in our course of and belief in our sport plan. and we follow it,” he added.
Australian pacers Sean Abbott and Marcus Stoinis took one wicket every.
Three wickets apiece from Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav left India in want of 270 to win the collection, which stood at 1-1 going into the ultimate sport.
Sharma mentioned that Indian batters failed to hold on after getting a begin to “take the sport deep”.
“All of us had been attempting our greatest to exit and obtain that nevertheless it simply didn’t occur,” the Indian skipper mentioned.
“Clearly a loss like this actually hurts. However once more we will perceive what we have to do higher as a workforce, as a bunch,” he added.
Earlier, Pandya (3-44) and India’s left-arm spinner Kuldeep (3-56) performed an essential function in limiting Australia to a chaseable 269 within the forty ninth over.
By the eighth over, in-form openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh had hit 10 boundaries between them, together with three sixes, and regarded set for a commanding partnership earlier than Pandya took the short wickets of Head (33), Smith (0) and Marsh (47).
Yadav had the higher of the center order starting with David Warner, who made 23 batting at quantity 4 on his return from the elbow fracture that compelled him out of the second Check in February.
Marnus Labuschagne (28) was subsequent however Alex Carey stubbornly held on for one more 10 overs earlier than his departure on 38.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel and frontline pacer Mohammed Siraj every took two wickets as Sean Abbott (26), Agar (17) and Mitchell Starc (10) added essential runs to a below-par rating.
— with AFP
