Australia posted a par score in the last game of the three-match series against India in Rajkot on Wednesday (September 27), opting to bat on a usually favourable batting surface. The total of 352 is the highest score ever recorded at the site, implying that India will need to make history in order to complete the series sweep.
Australia’s top four batters had a field day on a pitch that offered little to the bowlers. Mitchell Marsh and David Warner both scored 50 points in the opening Powerplay, with the latter being the aggressor. He reached his milestone in the first ten overs and then moved on to a daring shot. Warner was certainly the most fluent he’d looked in the series, but he couldn’t get going after his third fifty of the series.
But the tone had been set, and Marsh continued it along with Steve Smith, who also picked up the beat fast. The surface here, like in Indore, provided for fluent strokeplay, particularly in the opening half of the innings when the ball was fresher and harder. Marsh and Smith batted with calculated intensity, both eager to score huge runs before the World Cup. It didn’t knock them out, though, as runs came at a good pace before Marsh was bowled by Kuldeep Yadav with only four required for a century.
Smith was quickly deposed by Mohammed Siraj, and it was a moment in which Australia disintegrated a little to provide India with some much-needed relief. The intense dry heat in Rajkot, in addition to being an excellent batting wicket, had a telling effect on the Indian bowlers and fielders. Both Bumrah and Siraj were pricey in their new-ball spells but came back strongly later on, with the former’s second spell undermining Australia’s hopes of a 375-plus total at one point. With the steady loss of wickets, the mini-collapse made even 350 appear daunting.
That’s where Marnus Labuschagne stepped in, and with a fifty of his own, he effectively dominated the final 15 overs of the innings. Despite a disappointing final 30 deliveries, Australia managed to pass the 350-run mark thanks to skipper Pat Cummins’ help. Bumrah had a rare off-day, posting his joint-worst ODI stats. The older and softer ball wasn’t as easy to hit as it had been in the beginning, and the ground isn’t as short as in Rajkot, so the second half should be interesting.
