After losing the first two matches to Australia, India had lost the series. The third and final One-Day International of the series, held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), was a battle for honour for the Indian team. In this fight, two star batsmen—Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli—showed glimpses of their old form. After the young pacer Harshit Rana initially bowled out Australia for just 236 runs with his 4 wickets, an unbroken 168-run partnership between Rohit’s 121* and Kohli’s 74* secured a massive 9-wicket victory for India. Although Australia won the series 2-1, this dominant win saved India from the embarrassment of a whitewash. A detailed analysis of the match is given below:
First Innings: Harshit Rana’s Devastating Spell, Australia All Out for 236
Winning the toss, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh decided to bat first. The opening partnership of Marsh 41 and Travis Head 29 quickly accumulated 61 runs, hinting at a big score. But the Australian innings lost its momentum after Mohammed Siraj dismissed Travis Head.
When captain Marsh was bowled by Axar Patel for 41, Matt Renshaw 56 runs off 58 balls steadied the innings. However, after Matthew Short was out for 30, the Australian middle order collapsed.
This collapse was triggered by the young Indian pacer Harshit Rana, who justified the trust of coach Gautam Gambhir. Harshit took 4 crucial wickets for just 39 runs in 8.4 overs, marking his best ODI bowling performance. He was ably supported by Washington Sundar, who took 2 wickets. As a result, Australia could not play the full 50 overs and were all out for just 236 runs in 46.4 overs.
- Australia Scorecard: 236/10/46.4 Overs
Second Innings: Rohit Sharma’s Century and Kohli’s Half-Century
Chasing a relatively easy target of 237 runs, India quickly lost Shubman Gill 24 runs off 26 balls, but then the ‘Ro-Ko’ magic began.
After failing in the first two matches, Virat Kohli returned to form in this game. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma started with the explosive batting momentum he showed in the previous match. These two stalwarts built an unbroken 168-run partnership for the second wicket, guiding India to victory.
Rohit Sharma played a magnificent innings of unbeaten 121 runs off 125 balls, with 13 fours and 3 sixes, marking his 33rd ODI century of his career. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli played a fighting, unbeaten innings of 74 runs off 81 balls, with 7 fours. Thanks to this partnership, India reached the target in just 38.3 overs, losing only 1 wicket.
- India Scorecard: 237/1/38.3 Overs
Top 5 Moments of the Match
- Harshit Rana’s 4 Wickets: After being criticized in the first two matches, young fast bowler Harshit Rana delivered his career-best ODI bowling performance by taking 4 crucial wickets (4/39).
- Shreyas Iyer’s Great Catch: Shreyas Iyer took a brilliant running catch at backward point to dismiss Alex Carey off Harshit Rana’s bowling, which helped in the fall of Alex Carey’s wicket for Australia.
- Rohit Sharma’s Century: Despite a poor start to the series, Rohit Sharma proved his ‘class’ by scoring an unbeaten 121 runs off 125 balls in Sydney, securing an easy victory for the team.
- Kohli’s Return to Runs and Record: After two consecutive ducks, Virat Kohli played a brilliant innings of 74 runs in this match. Simultaneously, he set a record as the second-highest run-scorer in One-Day cricket after Sachin Tendulkar (surpassing Kumar Sangakkara).
- Unbroken 168-Run ‘Ro-Ko’ Partnership: This 168-run partnership between the two experienced stars brought India a massive 9-wicket victory with 11.3 overs to spare and saved them from the shame of a whitewash.
Your comment will appear immediately after submission.