Zampa and Co stifle India to take series 2-1

Australia claimed the three-match ODI series against India with a 21 run win in the third and final match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. Australia as a result became the top-ranked ODI side in the world post the win.

Australia after opting to bat made 269 in 49 overs and in response India ended on 248 off 49.1 overs.

Australia started off briskly as Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh put on 68 for the opening wicket. But then there was a collapse as Australia slipped to 85 for three. Then David Warner added 40 runs for the fourth wicket with Marnus Labuschagne. Then there was a 58 run sixth wicket stand between Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey. Towards the end Australia's tail wagged as their last three wickets added 66 runs. Australia ended on 269 in 49 overs. For India the wicket-takers were Kuldeep Yadav (3-56), Hardik Pandya (3-44), Axar Patel (2-56) and Mohammed Siraj (2-37).

In their response India started off well with their captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill added 65 runs for the opening wicket. Then Virat Kohli teamed up with Lokesh Rahul to put on 69 runs for the third wicket. Then there was a collapse as Kohli fell for 54 off 72 with four boundaries and a six. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja tried to repair the chase. But when both Pandya and Jadeja fell in quick succession. In the end India was bowled out for 248 in 49.1 overs. Suryakumar Yadav made his third golden duck in the series. For Australia the best bowlers were Adam Zampa (4-45) and Ashton Agar (2-41). 

Match Summary
Australia: 269 (49)
Fall of wickets: 1-68 (Travis Head-10.5 ov), 2-74 (Steven Smith-12.2 ov), 3-85 (Mitchell Marsh-14.3 ov), 4-125 (David Warner-24.3 ov), 5-138 (Marnus Labuschagne-28.1 ov), 6-196 (Marcus Stoinis-36.6 ov), 7-203 (Alex Carey-38.1 ov), 8-245 (Sean Abbott-44.6 ov), 9-247 (Ashton Agar-45.3 ov), 10-269 (Mitchell Starc-48.6 ov)

India: 248 (49.1)
Fall of wickets: 1-65 (Rohit Sharma-9.1 ov), 2-77 (Shubman Gill-12.2 ov), 3-146 (KL Rahul-27.5 ov), 4-151 (Axar Patel-28.5 ov), 5-185 (Virat Kohli-35.1 ov), 6-185 (Suryakumar Yadav-35.2 ov), 7-218 (Hardik Pandya-43.4 ov), 8-225 (Ravindra Jadeja-45.1 ov), 9-243 (Mohammed Shami-47.5 ov), 10-248 (Kuldeep Yadav-49.1 ov)

Rohit Sharma | India captain: I don't think it was too many runs. We didn't bat well. Partnerships are crucial and that's something we failed to do today. You are brought up playing in these type of wickets, it's important you apply. After the start, it was important for one batter to carry on and take the game deep. It just didn't happen. Lot of takeaways. We can take a lot of positives from the nine ODIs since January. We need to understand where we need to improve. It's a collective failure, we can take a lot of learnings from this series. Credit to the Australians. Both the spinners applied the pressure and so did their seamers.

Adam Zampa | Player of the Match: I have had some success here. It's a tough place to come, always a huge challenge. I try to stay in the game and be competitive. Ashton Agar changed the game. Kudos to the bowlers who bowled before me as well. We trust each other, trust our game plan. The message was to trust our process and improve on it.

Mitchell Marsh | Player of the Series: Natural aggression when it comes to batting. It's been a lot of fun. (On Opening) I've got my little mate (Warner) who'll come back at some stage. I'm coming off an extended break, worked on a lot of things. Came here really fresh. It's been great. Hopefully I can have fun with Delhi (Capitals) as well.

Steve Smith | Australia captain: It's been an enjoyable tour. We didn't play our best cricket, good enough to get over the line. This wicket was entirely different, we left a few out there with the bat. The spinners bowled beautifully, really good performance. (Turning point) It was a real grind in the field. The way the tail stuck and got us to 269, got us to a nice total.