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3rd ODI: Losing The Match And Losing The Series

By Slogger
First publised on 2023-03-23 06:24:42

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The third ODI, which India lost by 21 runs to lose the series 1-2, was a good example of how a bowling side could choke the experienced batters by getting their bowlers to bowl in the right areas, set the field right and get the fielders to back them up in an exemplary manner. It was also a lesson in excellent ODI captaincy. The way Steve Smith set the field to deny singles to the Indian batters (and thus prevent them from rotating the strike and frustrate them) was excellent. The way his fielders gave their all to stop the shots (as there was no back up at the boundary and if they let anything through it would result in four runs) and prevent singles to choke the Indians was amazing. Finally, the Aussie bowlers, barring few stray balls, kept an immaculate line and length to keep even the likes of Virat Kolhi, K L Rahul and Hardik Pandya quiet. In short, the Aussies took the field with a game plan and executed it to perfection to defend 269.

For India, the repeated failures of Suryakumar Yadav (he got the thrid golden duck in the match) proved costly in the series. For, he is one player who can turn any match on its head if he gets going. Further, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill got a start but could not capitalize on it. Virat Kohli was deceived by the pace and looped a catch despite the having played a similar shot earlier which just fell short of the fielder. Later, Pandya and Jadeja got out trying to force the pace. But at the end of the 40^th over, it was clear that despite the match being not out of India's reach, the brilliance of the Aussies would not let them reach the target. With the loss in the final ODI, India lost a home ODI series for the first time since 2019 and ended a seven-series winning streak.