CANBERRA: India survived a blistering Glenn Maxwell half-century to hold their nerve for a 13-run victory and deny Australia a One-day International series clean sweep in Canberra on Wednesday.
While the explosive Maxwell was at the crease Australia were on track to reel in India’s 302-5 total.
But Jasprit Bumrah got the crucial breakthrough bowling Maxwell with a trademark yorker for 59 off 38 balls studded with three fours and four sixes.
That left Australia 38 runs away from victory with three wickets and 35 balls left, but India claimed the remaining wickets to clinch victory with three balls left.
Australia won the opening two matches in Sydney by 66 runs and 51 runs, but India emphatically ended their five-game ODI losing streak — their worst since January 2016 — to pull off an exciting victory ahead of Friday’s first of three Twenty20 matches against the Australians in Canberra.
India’s victory was made possible by an unbroken 150-run partnership between man-of-the-match Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja to swing the momentum after Josh Hazlewood once again proved Virat Kohli’s nemesis.
“I have been working hard to play for my country, happy that I’ve got the opportunity,” Pandya said.
“You need to be on your toes when it comes to playing against Australia. You got to push hard and face the challenge against them.”
Hazlewood again got the measure of the India master batsman, dismissing him for 63 to put the tourists under mid-innings pressure in the dead rubber.
Kohli’s exit threw down the gauntlet to Pandya, who finished top-scorer with 92 off 76 balls with some late fireworks with Ravindra Jadeja 66 (50), who seized the momentum for India, adding 76 runs in the last five overs.
“We were put under the pump in the first half and in the second half of Australia’s innings,” Kohli said.
“I would have liked to go on for a bit longer, but it was a great partnership between Pandya and Jadeja.
“The team needed that kind of a boost. That’s needed when you play a team like Australia.”
Kohli was out when a review instigated by wicketkeeper Alex Carey picked up a faint spike on ‘Ultra-Edge’ off Hazlewood which reversed the on-field decision.
It was Hazlewood’s third dismissal of Kohli in the three-match series and a massive breakthrough for the Australians who had reduced India to 152-5 in the 32nd over.
“I thought we fought really well,” said Australia captain Aaron Finch, who topscored for his team with 75 off 82 balls.
“It was a great partnership between Hardik and Jadeja. If we got one of those wickets, we could have chased 240 max.”
Score Board
Score Board
India won toss
India
S. Dhawan c Agar b Abbott 16
S. Gill lbw b Agar 33
*V. Kohli c Carey b Hazlewood 63
S. Iyer c Labuschagne b Zampa 19
K.L. Rahul lbw b Agar 5
H. Pandya not out 92
R. Jadeja not out 66
Extras (b1 lb1 nb2 w4) 8
Total (5 wickets, 50 overs) 302
Fall: 1-26, 2-82, 3-114, 4-123, 5-152
Did not bat: S. Thakur, K. Yadav, J. Bumrah, T. Natarajan
Bowling: Hazlewood 10-1-66-1 (2w 1nb), Maxwell 5-0-27-0 (2w), Abbott 10-0-84-1, Green 4-0-27-0 (1nb), Agar 10-0-44-2, Zampa 10-0-45-1, Henriques 1-0-7-0
Australia
M. Labuschagne b Natarajan 7
*A. Finch c Dhawan b Jadeja 75
S. Smith c Rahul b Thakur 7
M. Henriques c Dhawan b Thakur 22
C. Green c Jadeja b Yadav 21
A. Carey run out 38
G. Maxwell b Bumrah 59
A. Agar c Yadav b Natarajan 28
S. Abbott c Rahul b Thakur 4
A. Zampa lbw b Bumrah 4
J. Hazlewood not out 7
Extras: (lb6, nb2, w9) 17
Total: (all out, 49.3 overs) 289
Fall: 1-25, 2-56, 3-117, 4-123, 5-158, 6-210, 7-268, 8-278, 9-278, 10-289
Bowling: Bumrah 9.3-0-43-2 (5w), Natarajan 10-1-70-2 (4w 1nb), Thakur 10-1-51-3, Yadav 10-0-57-1, Jadeja 10-0-62-1 (1nb)
Result: India won by 13 runs
Man of the Match: H Pandya (India)
Umpires: Bruce Oxenford (AUS) and Paul Wilson (AUS). TV umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS)
