Australia v India, 2015-16
Wisden's review of the third ODI, Australia v India, 2015-16
15-Apr-2017
At Melbourne, January 17, 2016 (day/night). Australia won by three wickets. Toss: Australia. One-day international debuts: R. Dhawan, Gurkeerat Singh.
As the first two matches had each produced more than 600 runs, it was little surprise that both camps tinkered with their attacks. Hastings, a Victorian, made the most of his local knowledge to claim four wickets. But the prize scalp, Rohit Sharma, fell early to Richardson. Kohli's run-a-ball century whooshed him past 7,000 runs in his 161st ODI innings (five faster than A. B. de Villiers), while fifties for Shikhar Dhawan and Rahane ensured another competitive target, even though India failed to reach 300 for the first time in the series. Some sharp fielding was epitomised by a spectacular relayed boundary catch by Smith and Maxwell to dispose of Rahane. In contrast, the touring blues continued: the largely Indian-supporting crowd jeered Ishant Sharma for some sloppy ground fielding that also earned the ire of Kohli. India's selection change was arguably a mistake: they omitted Ravichandran Ashwin on a pitch offering turn, preferring seamer Rishi Dhawan, who failed to take a wicket on debut. And, although they did better in terms of wickets, a series of solid partnerships kept Australia's chase on track. It was marshalled by Maxwell, who fell for 96 with the scores level, having quietened his critics. Faulkner finished off yet another ground-record chase as Australia's 17th successive ODI victory on home soil - a record for any country - gave them an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Man of the Match: G. J. Maxwell.
As the first two matches had each produced more than 600 runs, it was little surprise that both camps tinkered with their attacks. Hastings, a Victorian, made the most of his local knowledge to claim four wickets. But the prize scalp, Rohit Sharma, fell early to Richardson. Kohli's run-a-ball century whooshed him past 7,000 runs in his 161st ODI innings (five faster than A. B. de Villiers), while fifties for Shikhar Dhawan and Rahane ensured another competitive target, even though India failed to reach 300 for the first time in the series. Some sharp fielding was epitomised by a spectacular relayed boundary catch by Smith and Maxwell to dispose of Rahane. In contrast, the touring blues continued: the largely Indian-supporting crowd jeered Ishant Sharma for some sloppy ground fielding that also earned the ire of Kohli. India's selection change was arguably a mistake: they omitted Ravichandran Ashwin on a pitch offering turn, preferring seamer Rishi Dhawan, who failed to take a wicket on debut. And, although they did better in terms of wickets, a series of solid partnerships kept Australia's chase on track. It was marshalled by Maxwell, who fell for 96 with the scores level, having quietened his critics. Faulkner finished off yet another ground-record chase as Australia's 17th successive ODI victory on home soil - a record for any country - gave them an unassailable 3-0 lead.
Man of the Match: G. J. Maxwell.