India ends 5-match losing streak as they beat Australia in the 3rd ODI

India finally managed to defeat Australia as they ended the series on a high note. It was a matter of pride for the blue army, who eventually displayed some character towards the end of the ODI series. This time, unlike the first 2 ODIS, India batted first. Shikhar Dhawan failed to make an impact, scoring only 16 runs in 27 balls. The newcomer Shubman Gill put up a decent knock of 33 off just 39 balls before Ashton Agar dismissed him.

Virat Kohli added 63 runs to his tally, becoming the fastest cricketer to score 12000 runs. In just 242 innings, Kohli managed to post 12000 runs. After the skipper got out, Pandya and Jadeja rocketed India to a total of 302. Pandya was only 8 shy of a century, smashing 92 off 76 balls. Jadeja also played a superb knock of 66 off just 50 balls.

Australia had already posted totals of 374 and 389 in the 1st and 2nd ODI respectively. Hence, everyone expected Australia to win this easily. However, history did not repeat itself this time. To everyone’s surprise, Australia was bowled out for 289 runs. Australian opener Labuschagne only added 7 runs to his tally, before T Natarajan dismissed him. Finch, however, was sturdy and robust as usual, smacking 75 runs in 82 balls.

However, prior to Finch’s dismissal, things looked a little shaky for Australia. Smith and Henriques departed for only 7 and 22 runs respectively. Cameron Green also failed to make an impact as he was run out by the skipper Virat Kohli. Maxwell somewhat helped stabilize the crumbling Australian batting line-up. However, Bumrah’s unplayable yorker proved too hot to handle for Maxwell, who got out for 59.

Thereafter, Australia fully collapsed, with all 10 wickets under India’s belt.

Shardul Thakur shined with the ball

India’s bowling hero on that day was the newcomer Shardul Thakur. Thakur was brought in to replace Yuzvendra Chahal. Chahal had a tremendous IPL 2020. However, in this ODI series, the Australian batsmen sent Chahal to the cleaners quite often. His inconsistency in taking wickets and expensive economy resulted in his omission for this ODI’s starting XI. Shardul Thakur was quite brilliant with the ball, picking up 3 wickets in 10 overs. Moreover, his economy of just 5.10 played a pivotal role in India’s victory against Australia in the 3rd ODI. With the ODI series wrapped, India will now shift its focus to the T20I and Test format.

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