Team India prevents clean sweep, wins third ODI against Australia
Team India, led by Virat Kohli, saved themselves from being clean swept in the ODI series against Australia. India won the third ODI by 13 runs on Wednesday. Batting first after winning the toss, India gave the hosts a target of 303 runs. In response, Australia only managed 289 runs. In the death overs, Indian bowlers held their nerves and won the match for the team. Although Australia’s victory was visible at the time of Galen Maxwell’s stormy batting, Jasprit Bumrah bowled Maxwell and turned the match around. After this, Shardul Thakur ensured India’s victory by dismissing Ashton Agar and then Kuldeep Yadav removed Sean Abbott.
Australia’s captain Aaron Finch scored 75 runs. Compared to both the previous matches, in the third ODI, the Indian bowlers looked in good form. Shardul Thakur, who played the first match in this series, took three wickets for 51 runs, Bumrah took two wickets for 43. Playing his debt match T Natarajan took two wickets for 70 runs. At the same time, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja got one wicket each. Indian bowlers did not allow the top batsmen of the hosts to stay on the field for much longer in the third ODI and Steve Smith could not score a third consecutive century. Labuschagne and Smith scored 7 runs each, Henriques 22, Green 21, Alex Carey 38, Maxwell 59, Ashton Agar 28, Sean Abbott scored 4 and Adam Zampa scored 4 runs.
150-run partnership between Pandya and Jadeja
Earlier, Team India managed to give Australia a target of 303 runs in the third ODI despite a poor start, thanks to a big partnership of 150 runs between the in-form Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. Pandya scored a career best unbeaten 92 off 76 balls, while Jadeja remained unbeaten on 66 off 50 balls. Both took the Indian innings out of initial pressure. Captain Virat Kohli also hit a struggling half-century.
At one time it seemed that the Indian team could not even score 250 runs, but Jadeja and Pandya took India beyond 300. Both took time to settle at the crease, but then scored fast. They scored 53 runs from 46th to 48th over. 73 runs were scored in the last five overs.
Kohli breaks another Tendulkar record
Kohli meanwhile broke the record of Sachin Tendulkar and became the fastest batsman to complete 12 thousand ODI runs. He scored 63 runs in 78 balls with the help of five fours. Ashton Agar took two wickets for 44 runs for Australia.
