India v Australia, 3rd ODI, Indore – 5 Talking Points

With India leading the 5-match ODI series by 2-0, everything was on the line for the Australians at Indore. Virat Kohli after losing the toss was made to bowl first as Aaron Finch took the game away from the home side early on. The supportive knocks from Steve Smith and David Warner meant Australia were in the driver’s seat.

However, it turned out to be an anti-climax as the Aussies ended up with only 293 on the board, 50 runs short of the expected total. Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane brilliantly set up the chase with their respective contributions. The finishing efforts were provided by the man of the match Hardik Pandya and India won the match by 5 wickets to take an unassailable lead of 3-0 in the series. Let us look at the five talking points from the match.

1. Aaron Finch’s century

Australia dominated proceedings up front on the back of a rapid century from Aaron Finch who made a comeback after nursing his calf injury. Finch scored a flashy 124 off 125 balls, smashing the bowlers all over the park, with the help of the 12 boundaries and 5 sixes he hit, during his knock which came at a strike rate of 99.2.

He also stitched a couple of vital partnerships with David Warner (70) first and then with captain Steve Smith (154). At one point in time, Australia was cruising at 224-1 and had 12 overs to go. Australia gained a solid foundation due to the sensational knock of Finch which gave the necessary spine to their troublesome batting order.

2. Australia losing momentum at the death

Like mentioned previously, with 9 wickets in hand and 12 overs to go, a couple of well-set batsmen in Smith, who scored 63 off 71 balls, and Finch, the visitors were looking at a score of at least 330-340 to challenge the Indian batting lineup. However, it turned out to be the opposite as the Australians lost their momentum at the business end of their innings.

It all changed after the wicket of Finch. Steve Smith then joined the Centurian in the dressing room. It was expected that the likes of Maxwell, Head and Stoinis would provide the necessary impetus into the innings. But both Head and Maxwell failed to hit the fifth gear and the Aussies ended up with 293 on the board, 50 runs shy of the expected total.

3. Indian bowlers pulling it back

Indian bowlers were phenomenal at the death especially looking at the flying start the likes of Finch and Smith. The Indians conceded only 69 runs in the final 12 overs and clinched 5 wickets during the phase.

The visitors had no answer to the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, who were phenomenal in the end.

India had to chase 50 runs less to win the series after the bowlers staged a brilliant comeback. The four bowlers were highly economical during the fag end of the innings.

4. Rahane-Rohit partnership

After a disappointing flourish at the backend, it was absolutely necessary for the Australians to pick up early wickets and go deep into the middle order of the Indians up front. However, the two Indian openers from Mumbai took the game away from the men in yellow within the first 20 overs.

There was no stopping Rohit Sharma as he deposited a ball off Richardson outside the Indore stadium. He scored a sensational 71 off just 62 balls at a strike rate of 114, smashing six boundaries and 4 gigantic maximums.

Ajinkya Rahane at the other end gave able support to the Hitman with the help of his 76-ball 70 which contained 9 elegant boundaries. They set up the Indian win with their quickfire opening stand of 139 runs off 130 balls. Sharma scored his quickest half-century in ODIs by bringing up the milestone in just 42 balls.

5. Hardik Pandya’s finishing knock

India, at one point of time, were in a spot of bother with the quick wickets of Rahane and Rohit Sharma. Pandya was promoted up the order ahead of the likes of Manish Pandey and Jadhav. After a decent partnership, Virat Kohli soon perished while Kedar Jadhav did not trouble the scorers much before joining his RCB captain.

At the other end though, Pandya anchored the run chase with his knock of 78 off just 72 balls (Strike rate: 108). He entertained the crowd and the spectators as he smashed 5 fours and four sixes. With the help of his finishing efforts, India won the match comfortably with five wickets in hand and 13 balls to spare.