IND v AUS 5th ODI Review: HitMan dominates the Aussies as India finish 4-1

If I tell you the story of this match, it will also sum up the entire series. Australia got off to a good start, the Indian spinners came in, dried out the runs, Australia lost wickets, the Indian death bowlers were brilliant and they managed an under par total. The second essay also unfolded in a predictable manner, they had a strong start, the top order took responsibility, Rohit scored big and it was all done with ease. The series concluded 4-1 in favour of the hosts.

Having faced the burnt in the previous match the Team India decided to roll back to the default bowling attack. Both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah were back in the side for Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal was unwell and thus Kuldeep Yadav took his place. Australia also swapped James Faulkner for Kane Richardson.

Steve Smith won the toss and decided to bat first on a re-laid Nagpur wicket. It was promised to be a competitive surface and when Aaron Finch and David Warner were toying with the Indian pacers in the first power play the predicted total was once again in the deep 300s. Virat handed the ball to Hardik Pandya and he responded with the wicket of David Warner, it was a pretty easy catch but Bumrah made it tough for himself and somehow managed to hold on to it.

Spinners suck the life out of Australia

Once the spinners got into the attack, the runs dried out and wickets kept tumbling. Not just Axar Patel but Kedar Jadhav also struck big. The part-timer got rid of the Aussie skipper this time who tried to sweep him but missed the ball that bounced low and was hit plumb in front. At 118/4 in the 25th over it didn’t look really promising for Australia.

But the two inexperienced middle order batsmen Travis Head and Marcus Stoinis took their time as runs were far more valuable to them at that stage than the rate at which they were scored. The duo saw through the tough phase and entered the last part of the innings. But off late the Indian death bowling has been at some other level and their effort in the last 10 overs was remarkable once again.

Axar who had an ordinary game in Bangalore entered Nagpur with a different mindset, the slowness of the wicket gave him a lot of confidence and he utilized it to a great effect picking three wickets in his quota of overs. Once Bhuvi and Bumrah took over the charge for the death overs runs weren’t easy and Australia ended their innings at 224/9.

Openers dominate

Though the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat easy this was not the kind of total that would challenge the Indian batting line-up. Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane were watchful at the start, fluent later and dominant in no time. They got another 100-run partnership and there was no stopping them. Both the openers got to their half centuries.

Before Rahane could convert his total into something big, he was out leg-before to Nathan Coulter-Nile who was really able to get the ball to move off the surface. The Mumbaikar scored his 4th consecutive fifty in the series and ended the five matches with 244 runs and ensured the hosts had a good start in almost all the matches.

Rohit continued to grace the game with his magnificence as he had Virat Kohli besides. The Australian bowlers couldn’t make anything out of the initial opening that they got. While at one point the Indian spinners had choked them for the runs, Adam Zampa and Travis Head employed for 14 overs couldn’t trouble the batters just enough to get the wickets. Runs were coming pretty easy for India and Rohit hit a six, his fourth in the innings to bring up the hundred, his 14th in ODI cricket. He was really struggling with cramps but kept going until eventually mis-hitting one from Zampa to be caught by Coulter-Nile in the deep for 125 off 109.

While they were cruising towards the target Kohli also attempted one big shot too many and was caught at long-on for 39. Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav then had a bit of a hit in the middle and took the team over the line with 43 balls to spare and 7 wickets in hand.

Australia used 7 bowlers but it was only Zampa who got a couple of wickets while NCN had one success but largely they were unable to challenge the Indians that allowed them to dictate terms, play the shots at their discretion, sit back and score the runs with minimum risk.

This series was important for India after their success in Sri Lanka, a 4-1 win here complements their 5-0 triumph over Lanka and proves that the work ethic this team has been able to implement is the real reason behind their consistency and will help them a long way moving forward.

Brief Scores:

Australia: 242/9 in 50 overs (David Warner 53; Axar Patel 3/38, Jasprit Bumrah 2/51)

India: 243/3 in 42.5 overs (Rohit Sharma 125, Ajinkya Rahane 61; Adam Zampa 2/59)

Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma (India)