IND vs AUS, 3rd ODI: Maxwell & Top-order brilliance hand Australia consolation win

IND vs AUS 2023, 3rd ODI: Mitchell Marsh-Steven Smith's 137-run stand, Rohit Sharma's 81 and Glenn Maxwell's 4-40 are top performances. Australia beat India by 66 runs in 3rd ODI. India win series by 2-1 margin.

Australia beat India in Rajkot ODI (Images: ©ICC/Twitter)

Brief Scores: Australia 352/7 (Marsh 96, Smith 74, Bumrah 3/81) beat India 286 (Rohit 81, Kohli 56, Maxwell 4/40) by 66 runs. India win series by 2-1.

Player of the match: Glen Maxwell (4/40 and 2 catches)

Player of the series: Shubman Gill (178 runs in 2 innings)

Top-ranked one-day side India locked horns with Australia with an aim to whitewash them for the first time in a bilateral ODI series during the third game of the three-match ODI series at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.

Talking point: India seeks contributions from middle and lower order in chases

India’s batting looked really good at the top, but they need more contribution from their middle and lower order during the chases. As the field opens up, the dot ball percentages increase and fall with the pressure. Ravindra Jadeja has looked really cold with the bat of late, and most of his shots this evening were straight to the fielders. He needs to get better quickly and contribute with the bat.

Read More: IND vs AUS, 2nd ODI: Gill, Iyer score centuries, spinners bamboozle Aus; India win series

Australia finishes on a winning note, India grabs series victory by 2-1

Australia captain Pat Cummins, on winning the toss, opted to bat first on a track that looked hard and full of runs. India rested Shubman Gill as Virat Kohli and Washington Sundar returned for the game, while Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc returned to the playing eleven for the visitors.

Deciding to bat first, Australia went off to a flying start, reaching 90/1 in the first 10 overs before the 137-run second wicket stand between Steve Smitha & Mitchell Marsh pushed them to 188/1 at the halfway mark. India pulled them to 286/5 in 40 overs, developing their bowling lengths before Marnus Labuschagne’s 72-run knock fired them to 352/7 in their allotted 50 overs.

In reply, India made a great start thanks to the new opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Washington Sundar, taking them to 72/0 in 10 overs before the visitors pulled them to 159/2 at the middle stage. Regular wickets saw them falling in the run rate as they could reach to 251/6 in 40 overs before getting bundled out for 286. Even though they lost the game by 66 runs, they clinched the series by 2-1.

Let’s scan the top three performances from the game between India and Australia in Rajkot.

Marsh-Smith added 137-run for 2nd wicket (Images: ©ICC/Twitter)

Marsh-Smith 137-run stand offers Australia a solid platform

Australia began on a positive note with 78/0 in eight overs before David Warner got out for 56, but they need another pair to carry them with the same pace in the middle overs.

Steven Smith began with a boundary against Prasidh Krishna, driving him through covers for a four before Mitchell Marsh drove Ravindra Jadeja through the same region for a boundary. At least one boundary was coming in almost every over as Jadeja was punched through extra cover by Marsh, who celebrated his 17th ODI fifty in 45 balls.

Smith drilled Sundar through backward point before smacking Jadeja over mid-wicket for a six. Marsh smashed Jasprit Bumrah for three consecutive boundaries besides pulling him behind square for a six to now have an unbeaten 32-ball 52 runs against the bowler. Smith notched up his 30th ODI fifty in 44 balls.

With the extreme heat, a tired Mitchell Marsh was finally dismissed on 96 in 84 balls with the help of 13 fours and three sixes to have 2231 ODI runs in 79 games. Smith was dismissed on 61-ball 74, shouldering on eight boundaries and one six to carry 5054 ODI runs in 146 games now.

Read More: IND vs AUS, 1st ODI: Shami's fifer, Openers' fifties headline India win

Maxwell stunned India with magical figures of 4/40

After India got a good start in the powerplay, Australia needed some quick wickets and Maxwell, making a comeback in the side, offered them that.

In the fifth ball of his first over, he sent back Sundar on 18, who chipped the ball straight into the hands of the long-off fielder. He came back in the 20th over to break the 70-run second wicket stand by dismissing Rohit on 81, who hit the short ball back to the bowler, who clutched it nicely with his palm.

Maxwell caged the ‘big fish’ Kohli on 56, who was quick in the pull shot and caught in the mid-on fielder's safe hands. This was the second time Maxwell did Kohli in ODIs. He came back in the 39th over to disturb the stumps of Shreyas Iyer on 48 with a sliding off-break.

He finished with his best ODI bowling figure of 4/40 to now have 11 wickets in the format.

Read More: Asia Cup win has set India on track to conquer World Cup 2023

Rohit's fifty (81 runs) goes in vain as Aus beat India (Images: ©BCCI/Twitter)

Rohit gave India a solid start with an 81-run knock

After coming back from a small break, Rohit Sharma looked in great touch with the bat.

He began with a boundary against Mitchell Starc over mid-wicket before lofting him over the covers for a six. He smacked Josh Hazlewood over long leg for a four, besides driving Starc through deep cover for another six to now have 146 ODI runs in 138 balls against the left-arm quick.

Rohit nailed Cummins for two sixes over deep square leg before celebrating his 52nd ODI fifty in 31 balls with a couple of runs. He took a few singles and couples as the field opened before using his feet to put Maxwell into the crowd. Rohit was dismissed on 81 in 57 balls, shouldering on five boundaries and six sixes to pocket 10112 runs in 251 ODI games.

Read More: After Virat Kohli, who’s India’s next chase master?

Statistical highlights from India vs Australia, 3rd ODI, Rajkot

• Mitchell Marsh now has 458 ODI runs in nine innings against India at an average of 76.3 and strike rate of 117.7 with three fifties and one century.

• Rohit Sharma now has the most sixes in a single country- 257 in India.

What’s to come

India will play the first of their two warm-up games for the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 against England on September 30 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in G

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