The veteran pair of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both found form and drove the Indian Cricket Team to a victory in the third and final ODI of the IND vs AUS series. This was the two’s last ever international cricket match down under, and the two leave the territory in style.
Today was the third and final Australia vs India ODI. The series result was already decided, as the Aussies had won the first two matches of this three-game series. This match, played for bragging rights more than anything, was played at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground. And for the third time in this series, the home side won the toss but decided to bat first this time.
IND vs AUS: Ro-Ko Power India To A Win In The 3rd ODI
Australia got off to a flying start to their inning as the opening duo of Travis Head and skipper Mitchell Marsh started strong. The two made 60 runs in the first nine overs before Head was dismissed by Mohammad Siraj, caught at backward point, 61/1.
Marsh, with the incoming Matt Short, tried to keep the pace of the inning up, but in the 15th over, the captain was bowled by Axar Patel, 88/2. This was the start of the Kangaroo inning tumbling down the stairs.
Short made 30 off 41, wicketkeeper Alex Carey made 24 off 37, and Cooper Connolly made 23 runs in 34 balls, while Mitchell Owen got out after scoring just a single run. While most of the Australian Cricket Team’s middle order got decent starts, none of them converted them into any big runs.
The only exception to that rule is Matt Renshaw, who has been a revelation for Australia in this series. While the middle order was taking regular hits from the 16th of the 36th over, Renshaw stood firm at one end while scoring runs at a decent pace. By the time he got out, the score was 195/5 in the 37th over, while he had made 56 off 58.
However, not long after Renshaw’s departure, the Aussies suffered a collapse to the point that the whole team was all out for 236 by the 47th over. The home team’s batting performance was disappointing, even though the pitch wasn’t particularly conducive to scoring runs.
Harshit Rana enjoyed career-best figures of 4/39. This comes after two below-par matches, where he conceded at over 6 rpo and took just two wickets.
The Indian innings, despite fewer big moments and less drama, was the more storied one. Despite speculations before the match, captain Shubman Gill did open the innings for the Indian Cricket Team alongside former captain Rohit Sharma. The latter, despite struggling big time early in match 2, made big runs.
Today, India got off to an excellent start. The two openers made 68 runs in the first 10 overs before Gill was dismissed by Josh Hazelwood in the 11th. This brought Virat Kohli to the crease. A man who has had many memorable moments and innings in Australia, playing down under for the final time.
Kohli had made ducks in the last two matches of this series. And so when he opened his account with a single off the first ball he played, the crowd roared. Kohli himself had a little celebration, in jest, of course.
What happened next was the classic Ro-Ko experience. The two men, with their endless experience at the top level, marched effortlessly towards the target. The two legends of Indian cricket, for the last time in Australia, batted and batted well.
Rohit soon reached 50, and then Kohli did. The two played most of their classic shots. While Sharma played a few pulls and a couple of monstrous sweeps, Virat Kohli showed his deft touch with his signature drives and flicks.
Virat would end up reaching his half-century before the 100-run mark for this partnership came up. This is the first time in almost six years that Ro-Ko had a 100-run partnership for the Indian Cricket Team.
The Hitman would soon score his century, his sixth ODI ton in Australia. Rohit, with an expression of relief on his face, raised his bat to acknowledge the crowd. After this point, the two accelerated to finish the game as early as possible, which they did, doing so in the 39th over.
The two veteran Indian batters had a 168-run stand together, just like old times. And like old times, Rohit Sharma was named the Player of the Match for his century. What came as a surprise was that he was also named the Player of the Series. But, well, he was the highest run scorer of this series by far. This was despite Australia winning the series 2-1.
And with that, the Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli chapter in Australia has come to an end, with their fate in international cricket still shrouded in mystery.
As for the rest of the tour, the Australia vs India five-match T20I series will commence on Wednesday, October 29, the first match of which will be played at the Manuka Oval in Griffith, Australia.
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