IND v AUS 2020: "A day to remember" - Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and other Indian stars celebrate their ODI win on social media
The Indian cricket team capped off the 3-match ODI series with a fantastic victory at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja were the heroes of the Men in Blue's win, while skipper Virat Kohli and the fast bowlers also did a commendable job.
Entering the third ODI with no chance of winning the series, captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first. Shikhar Dhawan lost his wicket early but Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli built a solid partnership for the second wicket. Still, the Australian bowlers took wickets at regular intervals and kept their team in the contest.
Hardik Pandya then joined forces with Ravindra Jadeja to blow away the Australian bowling attack towards the back end of the innings. The two all-rounders stitched an unbeaten 150-run partnership for the sixth wicket as the visitors set a challenging target of 303 runs for the Aaron Finch-led outfit.
Australia began the run-chase with two early wickets. Marnus Labuschagne chopped one from debutant T Natarajan onto his stumps, while the in-form Steve Smith also lost his wicket soon. The pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Natarajan, and Shardul Thakur worked as a well-oiled unit, helping India gain the upper hand in the contest.
Half-centuries from Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch kept the hosts alive in the second innings. But ultimately, the 303-run target proved to be too much for Australia. The Indian cricket team avoided an embarrassing 3-0 series loss and also opened its account on the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points table.
Hardik Pandya won the Man of the Match for his 92-run knock. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja also starred with 66 runs, a wicket, and a splendid catch in the deep. Here's how the Indian stars celebrated their win on social media.
Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, and other Indian cricket team stars express their delight on Instagram