India vs Australia, 4th ODI: 5 Talking Points

Australia defeated India in a high-scoring encounter at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru by 21 runs and staged a belated comeback in the series. David Warner blasted his way through the Indian bowlers as the hosts rested Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav. He scored his maiden ODI ton in India and looked aggressive right from the word go. He was well supported by Aaron Finch who missed his century by a whisker as the duo added more than 200 runs for the highest wicket.

Eventually, the visitors racked up 334/5 in their 50 overs as the Bengaluru pitch lived up to its reputation of providing a batting paradise for an international game. In reply, India started off the chase in rollicking style as the opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane added more than 100. But India lost the steam in the backend of the innings as wickets fell at the regular intervals at the death even as Australian pacers bowled beautifully. The visitors tasted their first win of the series and they deserved it.

Here we bring you the 5 talking points of the match:

1. Brilliant opening stand between Aaron Finch and David Warner

Steve Smith once again called it correctly at the toss and decided to bat first as Finch and Warner strode out on a flat deck. The former has been a much-needed lifeline for their line-up as the duo piled on the runs with utter ease. They hit the bowlers with disdain and didn’t show any mercy. Warner brought up his century off 104 balls and the pair also added more than 200 for the first wicket in the process. The first wicket only fell in the 35th over as Warner was holed out off the part-timer Kedar Jadhav. But the damage had already been done by the openers.

2. Indian bowlers once again comeback at the death

After picking the first wicket in the 35th over, India controlled the game as they did in Indore and stifled Australia with their variations. Soon after Warner’s wicket, Finch and Steve Smith followed and the middle order was once again put under pressure. Though they didn’t collapse this time, the runs were hard to come by. The visitors could only attack in the final couple of overs as the Men in Blue conceded only 103 in last 15 overs and scalped 5 Australian batsmen.

3. Rohit and Virat Kohli involved in yet another mix-up

Rohit and Virat run excellently between the wickets but when they come together on 22 yards, both seem to have brain fade. There has been a history of them running each other out and it was no different in this game. After the dismissal of Rahane, one of these two players had to bat deep as the pitch was a little bit tough to bat on. But Rohit was caught unaware of the call from his skipper and both were found running at the same end. He had to lose his wicket on 65 as he was looking good for a big one on the night.

4. The partnership between Jadhav and Pandya ignite hope

After the wickets of Rohit and Kohli in quick succession, India was in the need of a steady partnership without letting the required run rate soar. Hardik Pandya was once again promoted to number 4 today and he had Kedar Jadhav as his partner. The duo complemented each other really well and started picking the gaps at ease with an odd boundary. They added 78 runs for the fourth wicket at just over run a ball and brought the Men in Blue back in the game. The partnership made India believe that they could chase the hefty total posted by the opposition.

5. The pace trio delivers at crunch time

The biggest positive for Steve Smith and his men on this tour has been their pace battery. The trio of Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Kane Richardson has bowled with pace and venom including their variations as well. They had India under the pump time and again in the series but the hosts managed to sneak out. But in the fourth ODI, they hit them hard at the death as Cummins bowled with pace, Coulter Nile with accuracy and Richardson with variations as the combination finally worked wonders for them. They scalped 6 of the eight wickets that fell in the Indian innings which helped their side to celebrate a consolation victory.