The India vs Australia ODI Series was a spectacle in many ways and there were two top teams battling for glory.
The Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team emerged victorious in the recently-concluded ODI series against Australia. Team India beat the visitors 2-1 in the three-match series.
It was a statement of intent from the Men in Blue. After going down 1-0, the hosts bounces back in style to keep the Aussies in bay.
The India-Australia ODI series saw Aaron Finch’s men outclass India in Mumbai as they sealed a 10-wicket win. India bounced back and KL Rahul’s 80-run knock at number five made the biggest difference.
And then in the decider, Steve Smith’s 131-run knock was overshadowed by the likes of Rohit Sharma (119) and Virat Kohli (89) as India claimed a 7-wicket win.
India have played a consistent brand of cricket since the conclusion of the ICC World Cup 2019. They have been unbeaten across formats to dominate the scenes.
In the new year, India started with outclassing Sri Lanka in the T20Is and now the ODI series win against the Men in Yellow will serve as another boost in confidence.
The team is set to tour New Zealand and be involved in a five-match T20I series, three-match ODI series and two Tests.
So the win here will be a catalyst of being more assured of one’s self in the key tour against the Kiwis. In this article, we look at the seven major records and takeaways from the India-Australia ODI series.
Record-breaking Finch and Warner display heroism in the first India-Australia ODI
The series could not have started off on a better note. Australia outplayed India and showed how crucial their openers are. Senior players Aaron Finch and David Warner produced delightful affairs at the top.
Chasing 256 to win, the two hot sparkling unbeaten tons to help Australia win by 10 wickets. It was a display of  heroism.
The two batsmen registered their ninth career hundred-plus stand in ODIs. Finch and Warner smashed the second-best tally in terms of opening stands for Australia in the 50-over format.
The left-handed Warner also surpassed the 5,000-run mark in ODI cricket on course to his 128*. Interestingly, he became the fifth Australian to do so and is the fourth-fastest to the mark (115 innings).
The likes of Hashim Amla (101), Viv Richards and Kohli (114 each) stay ahead of Warner.
The unbeaten partnership of 258 is their highest stand in ODI cricket. Meanwhile, it is also the highest stand for any wicket in India-Australia ODIs.
Steve Smith showed he can be a top character in ODI cricket
Steve Smith is definitely the best in business in Test cricket, however, he showed he can be a handful in ODIs as well. In the India-Australia ODI series, Smith showed his mastery by getting scores of 98 and 131.
He was consistent and easy on the eye. At number three, he is Australia’s powerful force, who can read the game and pace his game accordingly.
Smith showed he can have an impact like that of Kohli in ODIs. The right-handed batsman registered his 24th fifty in the second ODI and followed it up with his ninth career ODI century.
Smith also went past the 4,000-run mark in the format (4,039) and became the 18th Aussie international to do so. Notably, Smith is averaging 60-plus against India in ODI cricket.
Shami has evolved as a master at the death for Team India
This series, in many ways, will go down as a sight for everyone to see Mohammed Shami come this far.
The right-arm pacer leaked runs aplenty, however, his wicket-taking abilities helped India seal the pivotal moments. Shami has evolved as a bowler who can be magnificent at the death with his fuller deliveries and yorkers.
After going wicketless in the first match, Shami claimed three and four scalps respectively. In both the games, he got the dangerous Warner early on and then showed his magic with the ball in the finishing overs.
Shami was highly accurate in terms of pitching the ball up with a straight seam and hitting the woodwork.
With 143 wickets in just 76 matches at 25.16, Shami is a match-winner.
India vs Australia ODI Series: A strong message sent by Ravindra Jadeja
India’s prolific spin all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja showed he belongs to the starting XI. It was a series that helped Jadeja showcase his numerous abilities once again.
Jadeja wasn’t just the bowler to contain the run-flow in the middle overs. He didn’t just press the damage control button, but bowled intelligently to break partnerships.
He claimed 2/58 and 2/44 in India’s wins and that was a pleasing sight. In the second encounter, he teased Finch to get him stumped and then broke a vital stand to get the dangerous Marnus Labuschagne dismissed for 46.
Also, in the 3rd ODI, he once again got Labuschagne and broke the partnership he and Smith had created.
That once again helped India change the flow after a phase of intense pressure.
Headline-making Cummins, Starc fall flat against India’s mastery
The India-Australia series was forgetful for the visiting team’s pacers. The build-up saw the likes of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc grabbing headlines for their prolific nature in Test cricket.
These two had dominated the scenes for Australia in Test cricket in 2019. And then in ODIs as well, the two stood out. Both had a strong 2019 World Cup and were backed to cause issues aplenty.
However, they were out of sorts in the second and third ODI. Cummins conceded at 9.14 and Starc gave away runs at 7.33. Prior to that, the ODI in Rajkot saw them conceding at 5.30 and 7.80 respectively, In both games, they failed to take a single wicket.
This was a major reason why Australia couldn’t produce the stuff they would have liked.
Kohli-Rohit pair the best in ODIs in terms of partnerships
What stood out in the 3rd ODI match was the century-plus stand Rohit Sharma and Kohli shared. In pursuit of 287, Rohit slammed an astounding 119-run knock.
He clobbered 8 fours and six sixes. Meanwhile, skipper Kohli scored a superb 89-run knock. The highlight of both these knocks were a champion partnership between the two batsmen for the second wicket.
They shared a 137-run partnership to take control of the chase. When you look at these two players, they have stitched 4,878 runs as a pair in 80 ODI games at an average of 65.04.
Notably, the average is the best among the top 15 pairs in ODI cricket in terms of partnership runs. Their average of 60-plus is way better than the rest of the pairs.
In total, they have 18 hundred-plus stands and 15 half-century partnerships as well.
Dazzling Rohit is the man of milestones
32-year-old Rohit went past the 9,000-run mark in ODIs (9,115) to thrive in the format. Notably, the dashing Hitman became third-fastest to 9,000 career ODI runs (217 innings).
The right-handed batsman slammed his 29th career ODI century. The opener went past Vivian Richards’ tally of ODI runs (2,187) in India-Australia ODIs as well.
We all know how much Rohit loves Australia and the 119-run knock ensured that he smashed his eighth career ODI hundred against Australia. The senior cricketer is now the fourth-highest in terms of ODI centuries scored.
Lastly, Rohit is also the second-fastest to 29 ODI tons (217 innings). Indian skipper Kohli (185) has the record to his name.
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