Australia stun India to win ODI series

By AFP

March 23, 2023

CHENNAI: Australian spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar turned the match to hand India their first one-day international series defeat at home since 2019 in a thrilling third and final match in Chennai on Wednesday.

Left-arm spinner Agar removed in-form Virat Kohli (54) and the world´s top-rated Twenty20 batter Suryakumar Yadav for his third consecutive golden duck in the first two balls of the 36th over to leave the hosts reeling at 185-6 with a target of 270 to win.

The visitors won the match by 21 runs after bowling out the hosts for 248 in the last over after Australia´s stand-in-captain Steve Smith won the toss and chose to bat first in the series-decider.

The series was important practice on South Asian pitches for Australia before the ODI World Cup in India later this year.

India bowled out Australia for 269 and were cruising in the first 10 overs of their chase before skipper Rohit Sharma fell after a 17-ball 30 with the team at 65-1.

Sharma´s in-form opening partner Shubman Gill too fell soon afterwards after a steady 49-ball 37 to leg-spinner Zampa.

India´s star batters Kohli and KL Rahul struck a busy 69-run partnership before Rahul also fell to Zampa for 32. The hosts´ otherwise reliable lower-middle order offered little resistance after all-rounders Hardik Pandya (40) and Ravindra Jadeja (18) also fell to Zampa, who finished with 4-45 in his 10-over spell.

Zampa´s spin-partner Agar finished with 2-41 while pacers Sean Abbott and Marcus Stoinis took one wicket each.

Australia won the toss

Australia Innings

Head c Yadav b Pandya 33

Marsh b Pandya 47

Smith (c) c †Rahul b Pandya 0

Warner c Pandya b Yadav 23

Labuschagne c Shubman b Yadav 28

Carey † b Kuldeep 38

Stoinis c Shubman b Patel 25

Abbott b Patel 26

Agar c Patel b Siraj 17

Starc c Jadeja b Siraj 10

Adam Zampa not out 10

Extras: (lb 4, nb 1, w 7) 12

Total: 49 Ov (RR: 5.48) 269

Fall of wickets: 1-68, 2-74, 3-85, 4-125, 5-138, 6-196, 7-203, 8-245, 9-247, 10-269

Bowling: Mohammed Shami 6-0-37-0, Mohammed Siraj 7-1-37-2, Axar Patel 8-0-57-2, Hardik Pandya 8-0-44-3, Ravindra Jadeja 10-0-34-0, Kuldeep Yadav 10-1-56-3

India Innings

Sharma (c) c Starc b Abbott 30

Shubman lbw b Zampa 37

Kohli c Warner b Agar 54

Rahul † c Abbott b Zampa 32

Patel run out (Smith/†Carey) 2

Pandya c Smith b Zampa 40

Yadav b Agar 0

Jadeja c Stoinis b Zampa 18

Yadav run out (Stoinis/†Carey) 6

Shami b Stoinis 14

Mohammed Siraj not out 3