The third and final ODI game between India and Australia is under way at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot. This is the last match for both teams ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023, which is why a number of key players for both teams who are part of the coming World Cup are back in the playing XI.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins, along with Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Marsh, returned to the Australian team. For India, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav were back.
The game started with Australia winning the toss and deciding to bat first. They got off to a flying start, with David Warner scoring his third consecutive half-cenutry. He made 56 off 34. It was followed by three more half-centuries from the next three batters.
Marsh scored a brilliant 96 off 84, with 13 fours and three sixes, but missed his hundred. Steve Smith also played well for his 61-ball 74, including eight fours and one six. Marnus Labuschagne also used the batting conditions well and made 72 off 58 with nine fours.
At one stage, it was looking like Australia would end up scoring over 400 runs. But the Indian bowlers pulled things back in the last 15 overs. Jasprit Bumrah, who started with 50/0 in his first five overs, took 3/31 in his last three overs. He dismissed Labuschagne, Alex Carey, and Maxwell. But the wicket of Maxwell was the trademark of Bumrah, who bowled a picture-perfect yorker to hit the stumps.
What a delivery by Boom Boom Bumrah to clean up Glenn Maxwell. pic.twitter.com/yBq2A7R1Sn
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 27, 2023
Maxwell couldn’t score big on his comeback and got out after scoring 5 off 7. Australia finished with 352/7, which is the highest ODI total at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium. It will be a tough task for the hosts to get past that score, as Australia has brought back their best bowling attack.
