India vs Australia 2019: 3rd ODI, Ranchi - Match Report

Australia was able to stay afloat in the five-match series against India as the visitors won the third Ranchi ODI by 32 runs on Friday. It was a fine effort from the tourists as they come with a collective show. Asked to bat first, Australia posted 313 runs with fine knocks from Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch. Indian skipper Virat Kohli threaten to take the game away from the guests but the Aaron Finch-led side had enough in the bank.

Man of the Match:

Usman Khawaja scored his maiden ODI hundred. The left-hander scored 104 runs off 113 balls with the help of 11 fours and three sixes. Khawaja batted at the top of his game to help his team to a par score.

Turning Point of the match:

Adam Zampa was able to take out the big fish as Virat Kohli failed to pick the wrong one. Kohli was going strong but Zampa got the better of the talisman batsman at the right time.

India vs Australia 2019: India’s Innings

India got off to a poor start as they lost three early wickets in their run-chase. Shikhar Dhawan continued his poor form going as he was dismissed for only one run. Dhawan played the ball towards the point region where Glenn Maxwell took fine catch while diving to his right.

Rohit Sharma was plumbed in front by Pat Cummins as the right-hander was beaten for pace. However, the Indian opener was not happy with the decision as he thought he had got some bat before the ball made contact with the pad.

Pat Cummins bowled a beauty to get rid of Ambati Rayudu. The ball pitched in the good length area but moved away to hit the top of off-stump.

On the other hand, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli added 59 runs for the fourth wicket partnership. However, the former skipper was yorked by Adam Zampa after the in-form batsman scored 26 runs.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli brought his piece de resistance as he scored his 41st ODI century. Kohli changed gears after Dhoni’s dismissal and went on to put on an exhibition of fine shots. The talisman batsman scored 16 fours and one six for his knock of 123 runs off just 95 balls. However, Kohli was also dismissed by Adam Zampa when the right-hander could not pick the googly.

India vs Australia 2019: Australia’s innings

Australia got to a staggering start as their, Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja batted at the top of their game. Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to bowl first. Usman Khawaja had the rub of the green on his side as he was dropped by Shikhar Dhawan when he was on 18 runs. The left-hander went on to make the most of his second life as he completed his maiden ODI hundred. Thus, the drop proved to be costly for the Indian team as Khawaja added 86 runs more after the bungled catch. Khawaja scored 104 off just 113 balls with the help of 11 fours and one six as he brought out the best of cut as well as reverse sweeps from his closet.

Finch and Khawaja added 193.

On the other hand, Australian skipper Aaron Finch got back to form as the right-hander scored a good knock of 93 runs off 99 balls. Finch was the aggressor as he smashed 10 fours and three sixes and gave a stick to Kedar Jadhav, who conceded 32 runs in his two overs. The right-hander batted at the top of his game but was plumbed in front on 93 runs.

Meanwhile, India was sloppy in the field. Apart from Dhawan’s drop, there were a lot of instances of miss-field from Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav and Rohit Sharma.

India pulled back things in the fag end.

Australia lost their first wicket on 193 when Kuldeep Yadav plumbed Aaron Finch in front of the wickets. Glenn Maxwell was able to hit the ground running from the get-go as he catapulted his attack on Indian bowlers. Maxwell blistering knock was ended when Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni produced a brilliant run-out. Australia was eyeing a big score. However, India was able to pull back things in the fag end of the innings as they conceded only 50 runs in the final seven overs.

At one stage, it looked like Australia will get over 350 but the visitors kept losing wickets in the last few overs. Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowlers as the mystery chinaman took three wickets. Mohammed Shami took one wicket but the other bowlers remained wicketless.