Glenn Maxwell delivered Australia an ODI series win on Sunday, steering his side to a tense three-wicket victory over India in Melbourne.
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The ODI series between Australia and India is seeing a lot of big totals being posted, and as expected on a tour Down Under, the mind games have been going on to add spark to the flame as well.
161 Number of innings needed by Virat Kohli to complete 7000 runs in ODIs – the least by any batsman, beating AB de Villiers who achieved it in 166 innings in November 2014. Kohli was out caught a few balls later, but Dhoni (23 off 9), Ravindra Jadeja, Mann (8 off 7) and Rishi Dhawan combined to hit 30 off the last 22 balls as India ended setting Australia the chance of a record chase at the MCG, which they eventually scaled.
India’s innings had been held together by Virat Kohli’s sublime run-a-ball 117, but a dawdling stay by Shikhar Dhawan meant India didn’t get to the 330-ish total Mahendra Singh Dhoni had spoken of targeting before the match, despite the captain’s late flourish.
The top-order batsman got the better of the Australian bowling attack at the hallowed turf of the Melbourne Cricket Ground with a run-a-ball knock that was laced with seven fours and two sixes.
Indian skipper MS Dhoni on Sunday said the fielding performance of his team let them down in the third ODI against Australia.
It was Steve Smith and George Bailey at Perth. He was helped, too, by scores of 71 from bother openers, Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh.
Kohli stepped up in Sharma’s absence, forming key partnerships with Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane as he powered to three figures in the 43rd over.
Maxwell said he felt confident of victory even when Australia lost their sixth wicket, of Matthew Wade, with 81 runs still required, and he was joined by James Faulkner. Kohli, however, ensured that India did not rue the in-form right-hander’s dismissal. This was the best Dhawan had looked in a long time, with muscular pulls and crisp drives forming the crux of his innings.
Australia win the five-game series 3-0 with two games to play. On a hard wicket they probably got away from us in the last few overs.
Kohli reached his 50 in the 23rd over and Dhawan the next ball with neither looking in any trouble.
As a result, he was bowled by John Hastings (4-58) against the run of play, walking across his stumps in the 27th over.
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Australia haven’t lost an ODI at the MCG since March, 2012. Both Kohli and Rahane kept the scoreboard busy, and rotated the strike well, while also finding the boundary. Assured as ever, Kohli casually went from ticking singles to being the aggressor as India’s run-scoring breezed with him and Rahane.
