India Player Ratings from the 3rd ODI vs Australia as Men in Blue collapse in Chennai to suffer embarrassing series loss
Team India threw away a contest that was well within their grasp as Australia beat them by 21 runs in the series-deciding third ODI on Wednesday, March 22, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Aussies posted 269 even though none of their batters breached the 50-run mark. In response, the hosts were 146/2 at one point but showed a complete lack of game awareness to squander the match as well as the series.
Here are the player ratings for the home side from the third ODI against Australia.
IND vs AUS 2023: Kuldeep, Hardik scalp 3 each for Team India
Rohit Sharma: 5.5/10
How many times will Rohit find a fielder at deep square leg while attempting a careless pull? The Indian skipper got off to an excellent start before falling victim to a soft dismissal once again. He needs to start playing bigger knocks.
Shubman Gill: 6/10
Like Rohit, Gill started off well, striking four fours and a six. However, a trademark Adam Zampa yorker-length delivery brushed his pads first, sending him back for 37. He took two good catches and shelled a tough one.
Suryakumar Yadav: 1/10
0(1). 0(1). 0(1). Despite being demoted to No. 7 in a bid to help him play a bit more freely, SKY ended the series without putting bat to ball - literally. It's tough to see his ODI career survive this blow.
Virat Kohli: 6/10
Kohli was the only Indian batter to record a half-century, but the manner in which he was dismissed was totally inexcusable.
Despite surviving an attempted inside-out loft against the only bowler who troubled him, Ashton Agar, in the previous over, he tried the same shot and holed out to David Warner at long-off. The left-arm spinner was almost done with his spell, and Kohli should have played him out.
KL Rahul: 4/10
Promoted to No. 4, Rahul got stuck in the middle for most of his innings as he struggled to get accustomed to the pace of the wicket. He hit a six and a four off Mitchell Starc to inject some momentum into his innings but needlessly tried to take on Adam Zampa and holed out in the deep.
Hardik Pandya: 8/10
Hardik's eight excellent overs yielded three wickets as he sent back Steve Smith once again. He performed his role as the third pacer excellently on a pitch that didn't have much in it for the quicker bowlers.
With the bat, Hardik started positively, striking three fours and a six. However, after India lost a couple of quick wickets, he went into his shell before bizarrely trying to target Australia's most threatening bowler.
Ravindra Jadeja: 7/10
Jadeja bowled 10 overs that went for 34 runs on the trot, conceding just one boundary. His spell helped India exert complete control over the middle overs, where the Aussie batters were forced to take the attack to the other bowlers in vain.
However, Jadeja couldn't get going at all with the bat, laboring to 18 off 33 before dancing down and heaving Zampa across the line to get a top-edge to point. He should've played out the leg-spinner and taken on the remaining overs of pace.
Axar Patel: 6/10
Axar was the most expensive Indian bowler with an economy rate of 7.12 as he conceded three fours and four sixes. He picked up two wickets, though.
The all-rounder once again found himself run out (with Kohli at the other end) after receiving a promotion. He walked in at No. 5 and lasted just four balls.
Kuldeep Yadav: 8/10
Kuldeep delivered a superb spell, picking up three wickets to rip through the Aussie middle order. He threatened to provide breakthroughs throughout the innings and turned the ball prodigiously both ways. The southpaw made six off 15 balls with the bat.
Mohammed Siraj: 7/10
Siraj didn't have much support from the surface but bent his back when needed. He picked up the last two wickets to fall with some well-directed short deliveries.
Mohammad Shami: 4/10
Shami endured an underwhelming outing in Chennai. His six wicketless overs went for 37 runs. The fast bowler hit a four and a six to give the Men in Blue a mild glimmer of hope but was soon castled.