Twitter Reactions: Australia stun India to clinch ODI series
Australia won the fourth ODI by 21 runs to clinch the series with a margin of 2-1.
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After suffering a defeat in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy and in the first ODI of the series against India, the Steve Smith-led side bounced back and handed India a 2-1 defeat in the ODI series. Now, without the likes of designated skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, this win will boost Australia’s confidence ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup, which is slated to take place later in the year.
For India, this series was more about addressing the issues in the middle order. As Shreyas Iyer was ruled out due to an injury, this was a perfect platform for others to step up and eventually cement their spot in the playing XI. Now, other than KL Rahul in the first ODI, no other batter managed to prove themselves in the middle and that should be a massive concern for the team management.
Notably, the flamboyant batter, Suryakumar Yadav, failed to open his account in all three matches, while Hardik’s form with the bat needs to improve as his blistering knocks of the past cannot guarantee him a position in the playing XI. However, in his defence, he has been brilliant with the ball. In the third ODI, the all-rounder absolutely dismissed the Australian top order with his 3-wicket spell. and helped India to make a comeback after Australian openers made a rapid start.
When it comes to Indian bowlers, the pacers need to get better. It’s understandable that the conditions are not tailor-made for them but since it's the World Cup year, they need to pull up their socks and perform well, especially with Jasprit Bumrah missing at the moment.
Speaking of the visitors, after having won the toss, at one stage, Australia were reeling at 138 for 5 in the 29th over. However, the Stoinis-Carey duo went for an interesting ploy to counter-attack Indian bowlers in the form of sweeping and reverse-sweeping. Furthermore, they took extra risks to accelerate the run rate before an extra fielder was allowed to go back in the later stages of the game. However, Stoinis and Carey were dismissed in the 37 and 39th over of the match, respectively. This crucial 58-run brought the Aussies back into the game to some extent.
Thereafter, the tailenders chipped in with some valuable contributions. Post the 40 overs, Sean Abbott took matters into his hands as he scored 26 off 23, along with other lower-end batters who contributed 37 runs. Most importantly, the last pair added 22 runs to boost Australia's chances on a pitch which turned slightly tricky for India during their run chase. Eventually, Australia won the match by 21 runs.
In totality, Australia will be quite pleased to etch a memorable win. Mitchell Marsh has played some brilliant cricket throughout the series while ace pacer Mitchell Starc picked up eight wickets in three matches. In the final ODI, Adam Zampa was phenomenal, picking up four wickets for Australia.
The team however will have to think of getting better as Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Marnus Labuschagne’s form with the bat is a matter of concern. However, they will focus on the positives at the moment and celebrate their massive series victory.
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