India complete Australia series win to set up World Test Championship final showdown

13.03.2023 - 16:33 thenationalnews.com

India booked their spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the second straight occasion after drawing the fourth Test against Australia in Ahmedabad, and with generous help from Kane Williamson and New Zealand.

Rohit Sharma's team needed to win the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) by a margin of two Tests to qualify for the showpiece event on their own.

But as the Ahmedabad Test went on, it became clear a result was unlikely and India could only realistically hope to complete a 2-1 win, which they did at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday.

Australia declared their second innings on 175-2 on the fifth day, ensuring a draw and handing India their fourth successive BGT series win.

cricket bowling win Test Cameron Green Virat Kohli Matthew Kuhnemann Australia New Zealand India Sri Lanka county Travis county Kane

India conceded a rare series defeat at home as Australia turned the tide on the hosts to win the series-deciding third and final ODI in Chennai on Wednesday. Chasing a target of 270, India seemed to be in control of the proceedings when Virat Kohli slammed his 65th ODI half-century. However, Kohli played a loose shot off Ashton Agar's delivery and perished on 54. After his dismissal, India's innings crumbled as the hosts conceded the series. Former India batter Mohammad Kaif wasn't happy with Kohli's selection, saying that it lacked planning.

India vs Australia: Virat Kohli Faces Off With Marcus Stoinis During 3rd ODI, Video Goes Viral. Watch

Virat Kohli was in sublime form in the third ODI against Australia in Chennai on Wednesday until he fell to a tame shot. The former Indian cricket team captain played with responsibility in a 270-run chase and scored 54 in 72 balls. It was not a typical fluent innings from Kohli but a gritty one. With boundaries hard to come by, Kohli relied on running between the wickets before latching on to the loose deliveries to script a fighting knock.

India vs Australia, 3rd ODI: Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar Star As Clinical Australia Hand India Rare Series Defeat At Home

The Indian batting unit once again choked under relentless pressure from the Australian spinners as the visitors clinched the three-match ODI series 2-1 with a comfortable 21-run victory, here on Wednesday. Chasing a stiff target of 270 on a tricky pitch, India were all out for 248 in 49.1 overs as Australia came back in the series after losing the first ODI by five wickets. The series defeat is an indicator that the Indian team is far from prepared for the World Cup and there are too many loose ends that needs to be tied.

India vs Australia - Watch: Hardik Pandya Takes Three Wickets In Three Overs. Virat Kohli Can't Keep Calm

Hardik Pandya is back to his best as an all-rounder. The star has been contributing both with the bat and ball in the limited overs formats. He has also been regularly leading the team in the T20Is. He was also the stand-in captain in the first ODI against Australia. On Wednesday, Pandya once again proved to be quite a handful with the ball as he took three wickets in three overs. With Australia in full flow, reaching 61/0 in 10 overs, Pandya came to India's rescue. He got the wickets of Travis Head (33), Steve Smith (0) and Mitchell Marsh (47) in the 11th, 13th and 15th overs respectively.

3rd ODI, India vs Australia, Live Score Updates: India Look To Bounce Back In Series-Decider

IND vs AUS, 3rd ODI Live Updates: India will take on Australia in the third and final ODI of the three-match series, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. The visitors thrashed the Rohit Sharma-led side by 10 wickets in the second match, to level the series 1-1. Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Marsh were the key players for Australia in the second ODI. It will be interesting to see that which side will be dominating the other and emerging as the winner in the series decider match. (LIVE SCORECARD)

India vs Australia: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli 2 Runs Away From Historic 'World Record'

Two of the finest batters in Indian cricket history, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have done wonders with the bat in the Indian team. In the ODI series against Australia, Rohit and Kohli haven't had the best of outings, failing to score many runs on the board. However, they will have a chance to reach a historic milestone in the third ODI against the Aussies. As a pair, Rohit-Kohli remain just two runs shy of completing 5000 runs in the 50-over format of international cricket.