The third and final ODI between India and Australia at Chennai’s Chepauk Stadium on Wednesday (March 22) was a nail-biting thriller, as Steve Smith’s Aussies won the contest by 21 runs.
In the first game of the series, the hosts displayed a dominant performance, but the visitors retaliated fiercely in the next game to take revenge.
Mitchell Starc took a five-wicket haul as Rohit Sharma’s Men in Blue were bundled out for just 117 runs. Later, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh humiliated the Indian bowling attack, as Australia chased their target in just 11 overs with 10 wickets in hand.
India vs Australia 3rd ODI -The Highlights
Adam Zampa starred with a four-wicket spell as Australia beat India by 21 runs in the third and final ODI to clinch the series 2-1. Chasing a target of 270, India were bowled out for 248, after a middle-order collapse.
Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya took three wickets each as Australia were bowled out for 269 in the third ODI encounter in Chennai. Axar also scalped the wicket of Marcus Stoinis while Hardik was the pick of the bowlers for India, taking three wickets in quick succession to halt Australia’s charge. Mitchell Marsh was the top-scorer for the visitors with 47. Earlier, Australia skipper Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat against India.
It was a must-win game for India as their proud home record was at stake in the third match. Rain was likely to play a major role in Chennai. A change in the batting lineup was expected as Suryakumar Yadav was struggling in the first two games. However, he again got dismissed for a golden duck for a third consecutive time.