India last night completed a resounding comeback from their thrashing in Mumbai to thump Australia and win the ODI series 2-1.
The hosts were facing heavy scrutiny from home media and fans after their extraordinary ten-wicket loss in the series opener, when Australia smashed 0-258 while chasing.
As elite sides often do, they rebounded with vigour to comfortably defeat Australia in the final two matches. Last night India bowled tidily to limit Australia to a below-par total of 286, before Rohit Sharma (119) and Virat Kohli (89) ran amok.
While Australia’s spinners Adam Zampa (1-44 from ten overs) and Ashton Agar (1-38 from ten overs) managed to build terrific pressure, it was regularly released by star quicks Pat Cummins (0-64 from seven overs) and Mitchell Starc (0-66 from nine overs). That pace pair had a nightmare match, bleeding boundary after boundary.
So vulnerable where they to Rohit and Kohli that it forced skipper Aaron Finch to use part-time spinners in himself and Marnus Labuschagne, who together went for 20 from their two overs.
Quite incredibly, Sharma’s ton was his eighth against Australia from just 40 ODIs, while Kohli also resumed his domination of the Aussies in this format.
(Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Earlier, a Steve Smith gem formed the bedrock of an otherwise underwhelming innings by Australia. The tourists were a mess early on after David Warner (3) was caught behind off the bowling of Mohammad Shami (4-63) and skipper Aaron Finch (19) was run out in a shocking mix-up with Smith.
That mistake left Australia 2-46 in the ninth over and handed a huge task to rookie batsman Marnus Labuschagne, playing just his second ODI.
Yet Labuschagne (54) once again looked at ease from the start of his innings. He caressed a cover drive to the boundary off sharp quick Navdeep Saini, soon after punched left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav past cover for four, and then began working the ones and twos nicely.
Smith batted in a similarly controlled manner at the other end as this pair created a good platform for the Aussie middle order with a 127-run stand.
When in-form wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey (35) started motoring Australia were on 231 with 51 balls remaining, and were a chance of making 320.
But after Carey was beaten in the flight and caught at deep cover against Yadav, Australia’s weak middle order was exposed for the second straight match.
Ashton Turner (4) looked scratchy from the get go and Ashton Agar (11* from 13 balls) was unable to generate any power at the death.
While Smith’s hundred ensured Australia made a solid total, their batting line-up looks woefully thin after Carey at five.
The Indian bowlers sliced through the tourists’ lower-to-middle order with minimal resistance. Shami was clinical in his execution of yorkers, while Jasprit Bumrah (0-38 from ten overs) choked Australia.
They built upon the quality work of left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2-44 from ten overs), who restricted the Aussies through the middle overs.
Australia will now have a month’s rest before beginning back-to-back limited overs tours of South Africa and New Zealand. In the space of just four weeks Australia will play nine white-ball matches – three T20Is and three ODIs in South Africa, followed by three ODIs in New Zealand.
The run of nine ODIs away from home in India, SA and NZ seems a tad superfluous in a year when Australia are hosting the T20 World Cup.
maverick
Roar Rookie
Turner can whack a ball. He is just badly out of form. He has only played 6 odis,give him some time. People are so quick to discard players nowadays
JamesH
Roar Guru
K Richardson gets games because he's actually a pretty decent death bowler. That's something we really lack, so he kinda stands out as the best option. His problem is that he doesn't pose much threat when he comes on at first change.
Marty
Roar Rookie
I agree that Turner was very average but Agar bowled well throughout the series, including the best bowling figures last night, and did his job with the bat. He came in last night when Smith was set so just had to knock it around to get him on strike. Once Smith was out he had to hang around with the bowlers to bat the overs. In both scenarios if he plays a big shot and gets out he gets criticised for being irresponsible. What else is he supposed to do?
Marty
Roar Rookie
Luckily we’ve got someone like you anon to see through Langer’s dastardly plans to sabotage Australian cricket from the inside.
IndianCricketFan
Guest
I actually think 290-300 was par on that wicket. 1 more wicket in the powerplay and we would have been done for. I think we won mainly because our fast bowlers significantly outperformed yours.
Marty
Roar Rookie
All I’ll say mate is thank god for people like anon, otherwise Lager would be free to go about his dastardly plan to destroy Australian cricket from the inside!
IndianCricketFan
Guest
It was a difficult wicket to get the spinners away I think. Both Agar and Zampa too conceded very few runs
anon
Roar Pro
That's what domestic cricket is for to develop players that might come good in 4 years.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Agar or Turner were the players to send in with wickets and licence. Starc can barely get bat on ball any more. And Finch bowling? Smells like John the Bookie influence if Finch ever bowls.
jammel
Guest
Best XI for us (in all conditions, especially at home): Finch C Warner Smith Handscomb Maxwell MMarsh Carey + Cummins Starc Hazlewood Zampa Key reserves: Short Labuschagne Stonis JhyeRichardson Lyon Agar did well - better than I expected. But problem is I don't see him as one of our two best spinners and he isn't good enough @#7 for when two spinners are required. Marnus to come in at #4 if he continues to progress in limited overs cricket. I'd like to see Short given a few opportunities as well!
Diamond Jackie
Roar Rookie
Turner and agar were picked “for the future” with the next World Cup in mind. But that is 4 years away so I think the selectors are a bit ahead of themselves.
HR
Roar Rookie
On the basis of batting form, I'm not sure whether Warner or Finch is more deserving of a place in the side, to be honest. Their performances in the World Cup were similar (Finch also performed poorly in the semi-final with a duck, and got his biggest score against a relatively weak team in Sri Lanka), he just got fewer runs at a higher strike-rate. At least he seems to have resolved his weakness against a straight ball aimed at his pads, and he has had a couple of unlucky dismissals in this series just past (though 33 from 48 in the second match isn't exactly an aggressive start to an innings).
ForwardsWinMatches
Guest
Never mentioned Cummins - he is a superstar. Starc is great against second tier teams, but each of South Africa, England and India found him easy pickings in the World Cup when it mattered. He is in the team to take wickets - I accept that - but is he taking top order wickets against top tier teams? He certainly goes for plenty of runs. Not suggesting he is the only issue...how Richardson gets a run just astonishes me. And clearly the middle order is underwhelming - whether Maxwell, Marsh etc we’re left at home to keep going with 20/20, I don’t know.
sandpaper
Roar Rookie
cant believe a side keeping a player like maxwell out of the team and it did cost aussies dearly
Flexis
Roar Rookie
Yeah would’ve been great if he’d got onto a couple. But would’ve been better if we had someone to send in with a better chance of success.
Rob
Guest
Spot on Don. Turner got Yorkers and was expected to go of from ball 1. While Smith is being applauded for a century he run out a big hitting opener and was patting balls off the spinners and gently tapping the ball around for 25 odd overs. If he had of hurt Jadaja perhaps Kohl would have been forced to go back to Bumrah and pace bowlers allowing Turner and co some softer bowling at the death. Smith could also be accused of throwing his wicket right when we needed him to finish the innings? Something Maxwell is consistently accused of he gets out? Don’t forget Smith had been provided with the best form out of game 2. He also perished when perhaps he should have taken the innings to the 50th over in that game.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
Hi IAP. The only idea I have is to try out and ‘blood’ players in nothing games (no offence to India, lol. All countries only take serious really is the ‘at home games’ and world cups).
matth
Roar Guru
I assume Starc as a lefty was sent out to take down Jadeja. Unfortunately Starc is hit and miss and today he missed
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
Yaaa, I remember. A 50 at SR of 60 that lost the match against India, some very lucky escape against BD & Pakistan & some runs against Afghanistan I suppose. The other one was against SA on flat track, lost again.Single digit in most important match of all. It was then I predicted this guy was never going to survive again Anderson,Broad & co. in Ashes.I think Broad showed us what we needed to see.
anon
Roar Pro
No drop Carey, but obviously he shouldn't be in at 5.