SYDNEY: India cruised to a comfortable 9-wicket victory over Australia in the third One-Day International at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, completing a dominant performance in front of a large crowd of Indian supporters.
After Australia posted 235/7, India’s chase looked challenging on paper, but the experienced duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli anchored the innings with composure and authority. Despite the early loss of Shubman Gill, who was dismissed for 24, the pair rebuilt the innings seamlessly.
Gill’s dismissal briefly threatened to slow India’s momentum, but Rohit and Kohli combined their years of experience to take India past the target with ease. Their partnership drew loud cheers from the stands as they rotated the strike effectively and punished loose deliveries, showcasing a blend of patience and aggression.
Rohit Sharma played with his trademark elegance, timing the ball effortlessly and finding boundaries at crucial intervals, while Kohli provided stability and intensity at the other end. Together, they ensured that India chased down the total without much trouble, eventually reaching 236 with nine wickets in hand, securing a dominant win.
Rohit Sharma scored his 33rd ODI hundred and Kohli his 75th ODI half century.
Earlier, after a promising start, Australia suffered a sudden collapse and were eventually bowled out for 236.
Openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head provided a solid foundation with a half-century stand before Mohammed Siraj broke through, removing the dangerous Head for 29.
Later, Mitchell Marsh fell for 41 runs after he was bowled by Axar Patel.
A 54-run association between Matt Renshaw (56) and Alex Carey kept the hosts afloat, but were not enough to carry them to a bigger total.
Carrey tried to loft Rana, but a leading edge took the ball to the opposite direction and Shreyas Iyer took a running catch to oust the wicketkeeper batter.
Washington Sundar got the big wicket of Matt Renshaw. Just when Renshaw looked set for a big score after reaching his maiden ODI half-century, Sundar trapped him leg before wicket.
Soon after, Harshit Rana struck to dismiss the in-form Mitchell Owen, while Kuldeep Yadav claimed his first wicket of the series in the very next over, sending back Mitchell Starc.
Rana then returned to finish the job, taking the final two wickets of Cooper Connolly and Josh Hazlewood to end with impressive figures of four wickets.
Australia made one change, bringing in Nathan Ellis in place of Xavier Bartlett.
India skipper Shubman Gill brought in wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav and and Prasidh Krishna in place of pacer Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Reddy missed the third ODI because of a left quadriceps injury.
"Nitish Kumar Reddy sustained a left quadriceps injury during the second ODI in Adelaide and was subsequently unavailable for selection for the third ODI. The BCCI Medical Team is monitoring him on a daily basis," said the team management in a statement.
India are 0-2 down in the series having lost in Perth and Adelaide.
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul(w), Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Travis Head, Matthew Short, Matt Renshaw, Alex Carey(w), Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Owen, Nathan Ellis, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
