Team India suffered a 21-run defeat at the hands of Australia in the series-deciding third ODI at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Wednesday (March 22).
Opting to bat first, the visitors were bowled out for 169 in 49 overs. Mitchell Marsh was the top scorer with run-a-ball 47 while opening the innings.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya (3-44) and wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3-56) ran through the Australian batting line-up, claiming three wickets each whereas Mohammed Siraj (2-37) and Akshar Patel (2-57) returned with two scalps apiece.
In reply, the Men in Blue got off to an impressive start as the duo of Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill added 65 runs for the opening wicket. Sean Abbott drew the first blood for Australia, dismissing the Indian captain for 30 while Adam Zampa trapped Gill in front of the wicket for 37.
Afterwards, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul added 69 runs for the third wicket to keep the hosts in the chase. However, once Zampa broke the partnership by removing Rahul (32), the Indian innings crumbled under pressure.
While Akshar Patel (2) and Suryakumar Yadav (0) fell for a single-digit score, Kohli got out after scoring 54 off 72 balls. In the death overs, Pandya (40) and Jadeja (18) kept India’s hopes alive with a 33-run stand but once it was broken, Australia’s victory became almost a certainty.
Leg-spinner Zampa got rid of both Pandya and Jadeja as the tourists eventually completed the formalities in 49.1 overs by bundling out India for 248. While Zampa returned with the stunning figures of 4/45 in 10 overs, Ashton Agar (2/41), Marcus Stoinis (1/43) and Sean Abbott (1/50) shared four scalps among them.
With this victory, the Steve Smith-led side clinched the three-match ODI series 2-1 and cricket experts took to Twitter to share their views on the game.
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