India tour of Australia2019: 3 Things we learned from the 3rd ODI
India ground out a seven-wicket victory to ensure they returned from Australian shores without a single series defeat to their name. MS Dhoni once again remained unbeaten at the end on 87 and was ably supported by Kedar Jadhav.
The pitch at the MCG was a little slow and tacky, which made run-scoring difficult as the Aussies fought hard to take the match into the final over.
The Aussies lost their openers in the opening ten overs with Bhuvneshwar Kumar making it three dismissals in three matches against Finch. Carey too didn’t fare any better than his captain and was caught in the slip cordon.
Marsh and Khawaja found themselves resurrecting the innings for the third game running but neither of them was able to carry on to post a big score.
The Australian batsmen then crumbled against Chahal and managed to squeak past the 225 run mark, courtesy a gritty fifty by Handscomb.
In reply to the hosts’ modest score, Rohit Sharma perished cheaply. His opening partner, Dhawan also failed to capitalize on a good start and was dismissed softly by Stoinis.
Dhoni first joined hands with Kohli and then Jadhav to eventually seal the deal for India and accord visitors the chance to lift their first ever bilateral ODI series trophy in Australia.
As always, a lot of different aspects came to light through the tight encounter at the MCG and through this article, we would look at those and the implications it might have moving forward.
#3 Australia need to fix their opening woes
Australia decided to experiment with their opening pair in the series against India as they ditched the likes of Darcy Short and Chris Lynn to proceed with Carey. However, the wicket-keeper failed to inspire and could only muster the highest score of 24.
Though Carey failed to stake his claim for the opening slot, the wretched form of Finch would surely be a bigger cause of concern.
In all of his innings in the series, Finch was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar with the Indian pacer exploiting the former’s susceptibility to the incoming delivery. As the captain of the side, Finch was required to stand up, however, he failed to conjure up solid scores at the top of the order.
For long, Australia was able to boast of a stable opening partnership capable of denting the opposition’s charge from the onset. Yet, with Warner’s suspension and Finch’s poor form, the openers have become easy targets for the bowling side.
With the World Cup less than 5 months away, Australia needs to fix its opening woes. For a failure to do so would surely lead to their World Cup defense ending in a whimper.