Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja scored respective half centuries, as India registered their first win by defeating Australia by 13 runs in the third and the final one dayer in Canberra on Wednesday.
The Men in Blue dropped Mayank Agarwal, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Shami and Yuzvendra Chahal for T Natarajan, Shubman Gill, Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav, while Australia included Green, Abbott and Ashton Agar and dropped the injured David Warner, Pat Cummins and Starc respectively.
After winning the toss for the first time in this series Kohli choose to take first guard.
Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill got their team of to a steady start by adding 26 runs for the opening wicket, before the former was caught at covers by Agar off Abbott for 16.
Gill along with skipper Kohli added 56 runs for the second wicket, before the 21 year old was dismissed leg before wicket while trying to sweep Agar.
Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul failed to get going leaving India in a spot of bother at 123 for 4.
Virat Kohli looked good in his innings of 63, until he became Hazlewood’s victim for the third time in the series.
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja bailed India out of trouble by adding an unbeaten 150 run stand for the fifth wicket. The duo plundered 110 runs from the last 10 overs, as the Men in Blue ended up with a formidable total of 302/5 at the end of their allotted 20 overs.
Ashton Agar was Australia’s best bowler with figures of 2/44, while Hazlewood, Abbott and Zampa claimed a wicket each.
Chasing 303, debutant Thangarasu Natarajan gave India their first breakthrough by dismissing the stand-in opener Marnus Labuschagne as the latter bottom-edged a short ball on to the stumps for 7.
The in form Steve Smith had a rare failure as he was caught down the leg side off the bowling of Shardul Thakur.
Aaron Finch along with Moises Henriques resurrected the innings with a fine 61 run stand for the third wicket, before Henriques became Thakur’s second victim.
Finch who was given three reprieves, eventually fell for 75, caught at long on by Dhawan off Jadeja.
Debutant Cameron Green looked good in his short stay at the wicket, before falling to Kuldeep Yadav.
Alex Carey and Glenn Maxwell steadied the ship with a 52 run stand for the sixth wicket before a needless mix-up saw the former run out for 38.
Maxwell took the attack to the Indians by smashing 3 fours and 4 sixes in his quickfire 59 (38).
However, in an ill- advised move he decided to take on Bumrah when Australia needed only 39 off the last 6 overs. Maxwell by bowled by the MI speedster and his dismissal allowed India a route back into the game with Australia’s tailenders unable to take them past the finishing line.
They eventually fell 14 runs shot and were bowled out for 289 in 49.3 overs.
Shardul Thakur was India’s best bowler with figures of 3/51, while Natarajan and Bumrah bagged 2 wickets each.
Hardik Pandya was declared the Player of the Match.
The focus now shift to the T20’s with the first one to be played in Canberra on December 4, Friday.