Australia’s top four batsmen all scored half-centuries to lift the team to a total of 352. Despite half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India fell well short in the chase.
India 286 (Rohit 81, Kohli 56, Maxwell 4-40, Hazlewood 2-42) and Australia 352 for 7 (Marsh 96, Smith 74, Labuschagne 72, Bumrah 3-81, Kuldeep 2-48) won by 66 runs.
Australia’s top four batsmen scored aggressive half-centuries, and Glenn Maxwell took four economical wickets on his return to the team. This helped Australia avoid a clean sweep in the ODI series, as they defeated India by 66 runs in the third and final match in Rajkot. India had already won the series 2-1, having won the first two matches convincingly.
| Toss | Australia choose bat |
| Format | ODI |
| date | 27 september 2023 |
| venue | SCA stadium Rajkot India |
| Scorecard | aus ( 352/7), IND ( 286/ all out) |
| match | Australia won by 66 runs |
| moM | Glenn Mexwell |
Both teams made many changes to their lineups from the second ODI, with Australia making five changes and India making six. Batting first on a seemingly placid Rajkot surface, Mitchell Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and David Warner all scored half-centuries to propel Australia to a total of 352 for 7.
India was bowled out for 286 in 49.4 overs as a response, despite Virat Kohli score 56 rans in 61 balls and Rohit Sharma hitting 81 runs in 57 balls.
Australia, fielding a near full-strength team, took an early lead, scoring 90/1 in the first 10 overs, with Bumrah conceding 51 runs. India gave up 11 fours and 5 sixes in the powerplay, as Australia targeted Bumrah. Bumrah had a mixed performance, going for 51 in his first 5 overs but taking 3 for 30 in his last 5. Overall, his lengths were off.
Marsh smashed fast bowler for a pair of fours and a six in his second over after creaming the opening ball into the covers. As Australia went to 50 in 6.1 overs, Warner scored 16 runs off Siraj’s second over and 19 runs off Krishna’s first.
Warner swiftly secured his third series half-century in 32 balls but got dismissed after attempting a risky scoop shot. Smith, rebounding from a duck, exhibited excellent form, showcasing a wristy clip and an impressive cover drive. Even the introduction of spin in the 10th over couldn’t slow them down as Marsh and Smith consistently scored boundaries. Marsh reached his fifty in 45 balls but struggled due to the scorching heat. Despite the challenging conditions, Australia reached 150 runs in the 22nd over, maintaining a strong scoring momentum throughout the innings.
Smith and Marsh added 137 runs in 119 balls for the second wicket. India pulled things back well. Marsh, exhausted by the heat, patted a Kuldeep wrong’un to cover for 96. Australia lost four wickets for 57 in 11 overs. Labuschagne kept his composure, smashing 72 off 58 balls with nine fours to help Australia cross 350.
India conceded 122 runs in the last 20 overs and just 66 off the last ten, despite the challenging total.
Rohit Sharma’s pull shot was particularly effective, earning him 35 runs off just 10 balls. He dispatched Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood to various locations on the on-side, and the extra cover fence was also peppered multiple times.
Rohit reached his half-century in just 31 balls, courtesy of three fours and five sixes, although it came from a mistimed pull shot. Green’s delivery offered extra bounce outside off, causing Rohit to top-edge the pull, sending the ball skyward. However, Starc, positioned at short third, couldn’t hold on to a challenging catch while running backward.
Washington was dismissed for 18 off 30 balls, with Labuschagne taking a great catch at wide long-off. Kohli and Rohit then added 70 in 61 balls to keep the chase alive.
Rohit Sharma was dismissed in a stunning reflex catch, and Australia tightened the grip on the chase thereafter. Rohit had slapped a quickish length ball away towards the bowler, who tried to take the catch himself. After Rohit’s dismissal in the 21st over, Australia conceded only two fours and a six in the next ten overs. Virat Kohli reached his 65th half-century in the format, but became Glenn Maxwell’s third victim when he top-edged a short-of-a-length ball to Steve Smith at midwicket.
Shreyas lyer and KL Rahul failed to find the boundaries as the required rate continued to creep up.
In the closing moments, Ravindra Jadeja had a valuable batting practice, scoring 35 from 36 balls, but Green sealed the game’s conclusion by dismissing Siraj with the penultimate delivery. All six Australian bowlers contributed with a wicket each.
