Hardik Pandya raises his bat after bringing up his fourth ODI fifty
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Hardik Pandya smashed an entertaining 78 and took one wicket as India cruised to a five-wicket win over Australia in Indore to secure an unassailable 3-0 series lead.
In addition to clinching the series, India also became the top-ranked ODI team in the world.
Furthermore, it was India’s ninth successive ODI victory, which equals their longest streak in history as they achieved the same feat between November 2008 and February 2009.
Choosing to bat first, Australia got off to a great start as openers David Warner and Aaron Finch, who was returning from a calf injury, amassed a 70-run partnership before Warner was clean bowled by Pandya for 42.
Finch began to up the ante after Warner’s departure and dominated the 154-run stand he put together with captain Steve Smith.
Smith brought up his fifty during the partnership, but Finch raced past his fifty and hundred to put Australia firmly in the driver’s seat.
Steve Smith scored his 19th ODI fifty
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However, Finch’s innings came to an end when he was caught by Kedar Jadhav at deep midwicket off the bowling of Kuldeep Yadav for 124, which came off 125 balls and included 12 boundaries and five sixes.
Aaron Finch’s eighth ODI hundred went in vain
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Smith ended up making 63 off 71 deliveries, which included five boundaries, before he was caught by Jasprit Bumrah at long-off off the bowling of Kuldeep.
Once Smith was out, Australia began to collapse, which proved to be fatal in the end as it led to them being restricted to 293/6.
Bumrah and Kuldeep picked up two wickets apiece, while Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal chipped in with one wicket each.
Chasing 294 to win, India made a fantastic start to their innings as openers Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane put together a 139-run partnership, during which both batsmen surpassed their fifties.
Rohit Sharma struck his 33rd half-century in ODI cricket
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With India cruising, Nathan Coulter-Nile provided the breakthrough Australia sorely needed as he removed Rohit for 71, which came off 62 balls and included six boundaries and four sixes.
Rahane went on to make 70 off 76 deliveries, which included nine boundaries, before he was trapped lbw off the bowling of Pat Cummins.
Ajinkya Rahane made his 21st fifty in ODI cricket
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
India captain Virat Kohli and Pandya stabilised the innings with a 56-run stand before Kohli was sent packing by Ashton Agar for 28.
Even though Jadhav fell the very next over, Pandya and Manish Pandey left India on the verge of victory with their 78-run partnership.
Pandya ended up making 78 off 72 balls, which included five boundaries and four sixes, before he became Cummins’ second victim.
Pandey and Mahendra Singh Dhoni mopped up the remaining runs as India won the match with 13 balls to spare.
Cummins was the most successful bowler with two wickets, while Agar, Coulter-Nile and Kane Richardson claimed one wicket each.
Smith was gutted to have lost after being in a good position, and said: “We set it up beautifully, the first 37-38 overs. Put in ourselves a good position. Indian bowlers executed well, we executed poorly. We needed 330 plus, Hardik was magnificent in the end there.
“Finchy played magnificently, the wicket slowed up a little bit for both teams. The ball came on for the first 35 overs in both innings, but the slowed up, when it did for us, we weren’t good enough.”
Kohli was thrilled to have won the series with two games to spare, and said: “Steve mentioned the first 35 overs was good from their end, we knew when we get 2-3 wickets with their lower middle order, we could pull things back. It was a 330-340 wicket. Coming back from difficult situations has been a feature of this team.
“Wrist-spinners need to be backed, they won’t always get grip from the wicket, but they possess the ability to get wickets. They were 35-40 runs short. I’m really, really satisfied with the win. He’s (Pandya) a star, has the ability with the ball, bat and in the field. We need a guy like that, we’ve been missing an explosive all-rounder, great asset for Indian cricket.
“The idea behind his promotion was Ravi bhai, to attack the spinner. We might try a few players now, but the mindset remains the same. Journey stops only after the fifth game.”
Pandya was named Man of the Match, and said: “Feels pretty good, would like to finish the game next time. I don’t need to be surprised, important to back myself, saw it as an opportunity. I wanted to target the left-arm spinner. When I got a few sixes, I knew I could take some time. I try to contribute everywhere I can, I want to get better.”