Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja put together a sensational partnership with the bat before Jasprit Bumrah came up with a match-changing spell at the death to help India defeat Australia by 13 runs in the final one-day international in Canberra on Wednesday.
Australia won the opening two matches in Sydney by 66 runs and 51 runs, extending India’s ODI losing streak to five straight games – their worst since January 2016. But Virat Kohli and Co made sure Australia did not enjoy a clean sweep, while also registering their first win of the tour.
Australia vs India 3rd ODI, as it happened: Pandya-Jadeja partnership leads visitors to 13-run win
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja blazed half-centuries for India to reach 302/5. But Glenn Maxwell looked to have put Australia on the verge of a win with a blistering half century before Bumrah sent him back at the death. Debutant T Natarajan and returning Shardul Thakur then helped India wrap things up.
Thakur (3/51) and Natarajan (2/70 in 10 overs) did their bit but it was Bumrah’s (2/43 in 9.3 overs) controlled effort with some swing upfront and the dismissal of a marauding Maxwell in the nick of time which ultimately turned the match in India’s favour.
Bumrah did the most important thing by bowling one in the block-hole that had the dangerous Maxwell (59 off 38 balls) clean bowled. The cushion provided by Bumrah helped Natarajan to start bowling his yorkers under pressure and Thakur also tidied things up.
Earlier, Josh Hazlewood once again proved Kohli’s nemesis in the series on a day that the Indian captain became the fastest (in terms of innings) to reach 12,000 ODI runs.
Hazlewood again got the measure of the India master batsman, dismissing him for 63 to put the tourists under mid-innings pressure in the dead rubber after Australia won the opening two games.
Kohli’s exit threw down the gauntlet to Pandya, who finished top-scorer with 92 off 76 balls with some late fireworks with Ravindra Jadeja 66 (50) in a pulsating 150-run stand.
Pandya and Jadeja seized the momentum for India in the final overs after Australia had kept the tourists in check, adding 76 runs in the last five overs.
Kohli was out when a review instigated by wicketkeeper Alex Carey picked up a faint spike on ‘Ultra-Edge’ off Hazlewood which reversed the on-field decision.
It was Hazlewood’s third dismissal of Kohli in the three-match series and a massive breakthrough for the Australians who had reduced India to 152/5 in the 32nd over.
Along the way Kohli became the sixth batsman to reach the milestone. Incidentally, this was the second time in his career (after 2008) that Kohli finished without an ODI century in a calendar year.
The last seven games in Canberra have all been won by the side batting first, six of them while defending 320-plus totals.
Rising all-rounder Cameron Green came in for his Australian debut for the injured David Warner, while Ashton Agar and Sean Abbott replaced the rested Pat Cummins and injured Mitchell Starc.
Abbott, playing in his first ODI since 2014, got a wicket in his first over when Shikhar Dhawan was beaten by the change in pace and hit straight to Agar in the covers for 16 off 27 balls.
Shubman Gill looked in good nick before he played across the line and was leg before wicket attempting to sweep left-armer Agar for 33 off 39 balls.
Leg-spinner Adam Zampa bowled very tidily and got his reward when Shreyas Iyer hit straight to Marnus Labuschagne at backward point for 19.
Agar hit KL Rahul’s back leg as he attempted to sweep and not even the DRS could save him, out for five as India slumped to 123/4. But, after looking like they were heading for a below par total, Jadeja and Pandya came up with a partnership to remember.
Pandya was adjudged player of the match while Steve Smith, who was dismissed cheaply by Thakur after back-to-back centuries, was declared player of the series.
The inconsequential match became something of consequence for Virat Kohli and his men as they gear up for the next white-ball series – three T20 Internationals in less than 48 hours.
(With AFP and PTI inputs)
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