Australia bowled India out for 237 to win the fifth, final and deciding One Day International by 35 runs on Wednesday. This is the first time that Australia have won a series after trailing 2-0.
There was an air of optimism around skipper Aaron Finch when he elected to bat first in Delhi against India, who have been feared for their knack at chasing totals ever since they hosted the Aussies in 2013. Finch opened alongside Usman Khawaja, who was named ‘Man of the Match’, for another valuable century, and ‘Man of the Series’, for scoring the most runs in the series.
The Indian bowling attack did surprisingly well to restrict Australia to 272/9, given that the visitors were cruising at 175/1 in the 33rd over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the pick of the bowlers and he played a crucial role in pulling the run-rate down as he returned match figures of 48/3 from his 10 overs.
India and its supporters had every reason to fancy their chances when the much-acclaimed opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan walked out to commence the second innings. As the chase ensued, the Australian seamers bowled tight lengths with unwavering consistency and brutal pace.
Wicket-keeper Alex Carey staked his claim for a spot in the World Cup squad by effecting four dismissals: two stumpings off the bowling of Adam Zampa and two catches which saw off Dhawan and Kohli. India lost too many wickets early on in their innings for by the 30th over, they had squandered six wickets for 132 runs.
Kumar’s batting prowess was the main reason why India lasted till the last ball of the innings, when Marcus Stoinis sent the bails flying. By winning the last ODI, this Australian side have become the fifth team to comeback from a 2-0 deficit and win the series.
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