Virat Kohli today became the fastest to reach 7000 one-day global runs in the course of India’s third match against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
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India: Rohit Sharma c Wade b Richardson 6, Shikhar Dhawan b Hastings 68, V. Kohli c Bailey b Hastings 117, A. Rahane c Maxwell b Hastings 50, M.S. Dhoni c Maxwell b Hastings 23, Gurkeerat Singh b Faulkner 8, R. Jadeja (not out) 6, Rishi Dhawan (not out) 3.
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Virat Kohli smashed 117 runs off 117 balls to help India post 295 runs, which was a par score on the slow MCG wicket.
Australia win the five-game series 3-0 with two games to play.
With losses in the first two ODIs, India must hope for their bowlers to step up and defend the total if they are to stay alive in the series.
While Maxwell’s unorthodox tactics are divisive, it’s hard to question his recent record in the 50-over game, which included a maiden global century during the World Cup past year.
Ahead of the third ODI, Australian selectors have chose to rest Josh Hazlewood for remainder of the series. They earlier conceded an away series in Bangladesh and went down to South Africa at home. However, in the 19th over, Jadeja forced an edge from Smith which was caught by Ajinkya Rahane at first slip.
Australia’s top six all got starts, with George Bailey again impressive despite only scoring 23.
Needing 65 runs off the last 10 overs, Maxwell hit Umesh Yadav for a six and a four in the 43rd over that produced 15 runs and proved the turning point in the thrilling contest.
Ishant Sharma provided India with the next wicket. They unleashed a flurry of boundaries as the run-rate moved to five an over, and the two batsmen celebrated their fifties in the 23rd over.
The shot of the innings came when Kohli stepped down the track to lift Scott Boland straight back, the ball making an audibly sweet crack as it left bat and found spectators behind long-on an instant later.
Although Dhawan finally scored his first half-century in 17 worldwide innings, he was not totally comfortable and struggled to find the gaps.
Marsh and Smith caressed the Indian bowlers to stitch a 64-run partnership for the second wicket. Maxwell was picked as the man of the match for his responsible knock.
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Rahane had four hits to the fence and a six in his 55-ball knock before being undone by a superb effort in the field by Australia skipper Steven Smith. After taking a single off the fourth ball of the 35th over bowled by Faulkner, Kohli, at the non-striker’s end, was approached by Faulkner and while the stump microphones failed to pick up what Faulkner said, they sure did pick Kohli’s reply.
