Who said what as MS Dhoni leads India to their first bilateral ODI series win in Australia
With an authoritative win by seven wickets in the 3rd ODI, India successfully completed their assignment at Australia after more than a month of games across all formats Down Under. Having tied the T20I series 1-1 followed by winning the first-ever away Test series 2-1, India marched into the ODI series hopeful of sealing their first away series win in this format as well.
The visitors looked to be in complete disarray in Game 1, which they lost. The side bounced back to win Game 2, and it was up to the Melbourne game to decide who takes the trophy home.
Batting first, the hosts were skittled out for 230 runs even before their quota of 50 overs were completed. Yuzvendra Chahal played the main cards for the Men in Blue, as he picked up a record-shattering 6/42. While chasing, Virat Kohli (46), MS Dhoni (87*) and Kedhar Jadhav (61*) played prime roles as the side covered the target with four balls to spare.
Let's now take a look at who said what during the course of the game, and as India completed a memorable series win yet again.
At the post-match session:
Aaron Finch, Australia's captain: "We took it down to the wire. Our batting in the first couple of games was very good. Maybe we should have set our targets lower on those sort of pitches."
Virat Kohli, match-and-series-winning India's captain: "It wasn't a great wicket to bat on, so we had to take it deep, but they were professional in getting the job done. We were a bit nervous but two set batsmen in knew exactly what they wanted to do. We wanted to get in a good combination. (about the team changes) We wanted to give Kuldeep a rest and we don't want to be too predictable as well. Chahal came in and bowled beautifully. 6/42 was magnificent. Kedar with bat and ball is always handy. (about the experience) We have been here for a long time. It's been an amazing tour for us. We drew the T20 series, won the Test and the ODI series. If someone gave me these results before the tour I would have taken it with both hands. I am really grateful and proud of the side. It was a collective effort. (about future assignments) We are feeling confident and balanced as a side with the World Cup in mind. Few games against New Zealand and few more back home to strengthen the areas that we need to work on as a team."
Yuzvendra Chahal, man-of-the-match: "I enjoyed bowling for the first time in Australia (internationals). The ball was spinning a little bit, so I planned to bowl slow and vary my pace. Looking forward to the New Zealand series."
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, man-of-the-series: "It was a slow wicket, so it was difficult to hit whenever you wanted to. No point going after the bowlers who were bowling well, so we wanted to take it deep and that was the plan. Kedar did a great job in executing. I am happy to bat at any number. The important thing is where the team needs me. I can't say I can't bat at No. 6 after playing 14 years."
And meanwhile, that's a wrap from the Kangaroo-land. The whole tour has in fact, attained "unforgettable" status, with India claiming their first Aus-away series wins in both Tests and ODIs, along with a tied T20I series too. In summation, it is India 5, Australia 3 as the visitors will now take up their next assignment, the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
BCCI-
Virender Sehwag-
Sachin Tendulkar-
Michael Vaughan-
Sanjay Manjrekar-
VVS Laxman-
Harsha Bhogle-
Umang Pabari-
Mohandas Menon-