India vs Australia: 3 Reasons why India lost the third ODI even after Kohli's century
After two wins in the first two games of the series, India had their eyes on a series win as well as a #1 rank in the ODIs. However, they failed to do so, because of their sloppy work in the field and a very good effort in all departments by the Australians.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to bowl first in Ranchi. India went unchanged from last game while Australia had Jhye Richardson coming in for Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Australian openers started on a great note. After surviving a few close calls, out of form Aaron Finch got in his groove as well. Khawaja and Finch rotated the strike consistently and hit a lot of boundaries. Just when it looked like Australia will easily get to 350, India fought back in the middle overs. Despite a huge opening partnership of 193, Australia could only manage 313/5 in their 50 overs.
Indian openers failed to give the ideal start to the team. Wickets kept falling on the other end, but Virat Kohli stayed at the crease and scored with ease. First Dhoni, then Kedar Jadhav and Vijay Shankar supported Kohli but none of them could make a significant contribution. The Indian captain produced another masterclass in chasing and in the process completed his 41st ODI ton. Unfortunately, his wonderful efforts went in vain as Australia won the ODI by 32 runs.
Let’s have a look at the 3 reasons why India lost the 3rd ODI
#3 Australia's opening partnership:
For the last few months, Indian opening bowlers have consistently given India early breakthroughs. They haven’t allowed opposition openers to settle down and have sent them back to the pavilion for a cheap score. However, the duo of Shami and Bumrah was unable to do so today.
Despite some early blemishes, Aaron Finch managed to survive the initial burst from the Indian bowlers. Him and Khawaja made full use of the good batting conditions. They rotated the strike very well and did not let a bad ball go unpunished.
Once settled, they did not allow the Indian spinners to settle down. All three of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kedar Jadhav were put under pressure from their first over. Australian openers scored runs without much difficulty against them as they did not ball at their best.