Australia beat Team India by 21 runs in the third ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, March 22. Courtesy of the win, they bagged the three-match series by a 2-1 margin. It was also India's first bilateral series loss at home since 2019.
The visitors batted first after winning the toss and were bundled out for 269 in 49 overs. A lot of batters got starts but could not convert them. Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya were the picks of the bowlers for the hosts, scalping three wickets apiece.
In response, the Men in Blue got off to a decent start courtesy of some flamboyant strokes from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Australia dismissed both batters after the powerplay before they could convert their starts. Virat Kohli (54) and KL Rahul (32) put on a sedate 69-run partnership for the third wicket to stabilize the run chase.
Adam Zampa (4/45) and Ashton Agar (2/41) bowled wonderful spells in the middle overs and took wickets at crucial junctures to dent India's chase. The hosts completely lost the plot after Virat Kohli's departure in the 36th over, as they were skittled out for 248 in 49.1 overs.
Australian skipper Steve Smith reflected on the memorable ODI series victory at the post-match presentation, saying:
"It's been an enjoyable tour. The way we fought back after the Test match was great. We haven't played at our best in the ODI series but we got over the line. It's the playing conditions for us. It's all about summing them up and playing accordingly.
"I felt like we left a few runs out there, to be honest. However, the spinners bowled beautifully. Turning point, I'm not sure what that was. It was a big grind in the field throughout and we did that nicely. In terms of our batting, the way the tail stuck around to get us to 270 was great. At one point, we didn't think we were getting past 220. It was a good win for us in the end."
Cricket fans on social media enjoyed the final ODI between India and Australia in Chennai. They expressed their reactions through some hilarious memes on social media.
Fans react after Australia defeated India in the 3rd ODI on Wednesday
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