India vs Australia 2017: It was a really convincing series win for us: Virat Kohli

After the loss in the fourth One-Day International, India captain Virat Kohli could not have asked for a better response from his teammates as the Men in Blue thrashed Australia by 7 wickets in the fifth and final One-Day International on Sunday (October 1) to not only win the series 4-1 but also reclaim the number one ranking in One-Day Internationals.

Rohit Sharma’s brilliant knock of 125 led India’s strong reply in pursuit of a modest 243 as the hosts chased down the total with more than seven overs remaining. The hosts were off to flying start once again as Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane added 124 runs before Nathan Coulter-Nile broke the partnership by dismissing Rahane for 61.

The outcome of the match was then all but sealed after Rohit and Virat Kohli added 99 runs for the second wicket. They were dismissed in quick succession but it did not create much of a difference as far as the result was concerned as Kedar Jadhav and Manish Pandey ensured that the hosts reach the target without suffering any further setback.

Earlier, Indian bowlers once again had a strong outing as they restricted the visitors to 242 for 9 despite Aaron Finch and David Warner adding 66 runs for the first wicket.

Speaking after the game, Kohli expressed his delight over the convincing series win. ” It feels good. It was a really convincing series win for us. Ticked all boxes. Happy with the way the team played. We repeated the way we played against Sri Lanka, proud of that. It’s become second nature for them, the management plays a big part in motivating the players. We had a chance to retain the No. 1 spot and we ended up doing well.,” he said at the presentation ceremony.

Kohli also had a word of praise for the bowlers.

“Bhuvi and Bumrah have been outstanding for us, have been a class apart. Whenever the game has slipped away, they’ve pulled it back nicely. Hardik Pandya has been the biggest positive. Good headaches, you don’t mind them. These guys have made it possible by their hard work,” he concluded.