In the highly anticipated third and final One Day International at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground, Australia found themselves limited to 236 runs, largely due to a superb bowling effort from India, spearheaded by the promising Harshit Rana. Despite a commendable half-century from Matt Renshaw and valuable contributions from other batsmen, the Australian lineup struggled to forge substantial partnerships against India’s disciplined bowling and sharp fielding after opting to bat first.
Harshit Rana delivered an outstanding performance, claiming 4 wickets for just 39 runs. His spell was characterized by excellent pace and bounce, perfectly utilizing the fresh SCG pitch to his advantage.
A significant moment of the innings occurred when Rana dismissed Mitchell Owen for just 1 run, further pushing Australia into a precarious position. Before this pivotal wicket, a captivating exchange was observed: Rohit Sharma, despite not being the official captain for this series, engaged in a quick, animated discussion with the young Indian seamer. Following this brief chat, Rana bowled a hard-length delivery that Owen attempted to play away from his body, only to edge it to first slip, where Rohit Sharma completed a clean catch.
This incident vividly underscored the immense influence Rohit Sharma continues to wield within the team, even when not bearing the captaincy armband. Earlier in the series, Shubman Gill had been appointed as the new skipper, relieving the 38-year-old of his leadership duties in the ODI format.
Gill’s initial foray into captaincy in the 50-over format has faced challenges, with India having already lost the first two matches and, consequently, the series. This match in Sydney presented the Men in Blue with an opportunity to salvage some pride and avoid a rare whitewash against their Australian rivals.
The Australian innings began with a solid 61-run opening stand between Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, which was later followed by a 54-run partnership involving Renshaw and Alex Carey. Marsh displayed his formidable power-hitting skills, including a powerful pulled six off Prasidh Krishna. However, Head’s innings concluded when he steered a delivery from Mohammad Siraj directly to Prasidh at backward point.
India’s fielding was exceptional throughout the match, highlighted by two spectacular catches. Virat Kohli demonstrated his incredible reflexes with a brilliant catch at backward point to send Matthew Short back to the pavilion off Washington Sundar’s bowling. Not to be outdone, Shreyas Iyer pulled off a breathtaking diving catch, running from point to dismiss Carey, who had attempted to loft Rana but only managed a leading edge.
Axar Patel also made a crucial contribution by getting rid of Marsh, bowling him with a delivery that came in sharply with the angle. Renshaw, meanwhile, showcased his adaptability to white-ball cricket by focusing on rotating the strike during the middle overs. He reached his fifty off 48 balls with just one boundary, a testament to his evolving skills in the limited-overs format, nearly a decade after his Test debut.
Washington Sundar eventually brought Renshaw’s innings to an end at 56 runs, trapping him leg before wicket with a quicker delivery as the batsman tried to advance down the pitch. The quick dismissals of Mitchell Owen and Mitchell Starc further weakened Australia, reducing them to 201 for seven.
Despite some late resistance and brief cameos from the Australian lower order, they could only manage to push the total to 236, which was considered below par for the playing conditions. The Indian bowlers maintained relentless pressure throughout the innings, particularly with their spinners effectively controlling the run rate during the crucial middle overs. India’s comprehensive bowling performance, coupled with their sharp fielding, ensured that Australia couldn’t build significant momentum, despite several batsmen getting reasonable starts.