Team India finally showed up with the ball today and defeated Australia in the final ODI match. It ended up being a tight contest but Virat Kohli’s men in the end won by 13 runs. Australia failed to chase down the target of 303 runs as the Indian bowlers kept picking wickets at regular periods.
Shardul Thakur impressed in the final ODI and was the best Indian bowler. The medium-pacer picked three crucial wickets in his 10 overs spell. In the end, Jasprit Bumrah turned the match around after he dismissed a dangerous-looking Glenn Maxwell on 59 when it seemed that he will take his side home.
Team India Win The Final ODI By 13 Runs
The spin duo Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja kept it tight in the middle overs and never allowed the Aussies to get away with the contest. Also, the debutant T. Natarajan did go for runs but when it mattered he held his own and contributed in India’s victory. This was India’s first ODI win after 5 consecutive loses which will give them a major lift of confidence ahead of the T20I series.
Meanwhile, for the first time in the series skipper, Kohli won the toss and opted to bat first. The men in blue kept losing wickets after a small partnership and they couldn’t accelerate in the middle overs. When Kohli departed for 63 it seemed India would struggle to post a total of even beyond 250 runs. Then the match was completely changed around by the partnership of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja.
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The two cautiously built their innings and once got set took Australian bowlers to the cleaners. Pandya continued his brilliant batting form and made an unbeaten 92 runs in mere 76 balls. On the other hand, Jadeja too gave him full support with his fifty and their late onslaught took India’s total to 302 which ultimately proved to be a match-winning total.
We Were Clinical With Ball And In The Field- Virat Kohli
For his splendid knock of 92 runs, Pandya was announced as the man of the match. Here’s what the winning captain Virat Kohli said after India ended the series with a 2-1 scoreline.
“We were put under the pump in the first half and in the second half of Australia’s innings. Shubman and others coming in, it brings in a bit freshness. I think the pitch was much better for the bowlers. So the confidence levels go up. Playing international cricket for so long, that’s the challenge you face and those are the kind of comebacks you make”.
“We were clinical with the ball and in the field. Happy with the performance and hopefully we take the momentum forward. I would have liked to go on for a bit longer, but it was a great partnership between Pandya and Jadeja. The team needed that kind of a boost. That’s needed when you play a team like Australia”, said Virat Kohli.
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