Sydney, Oct 25: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli produced masterful innings to steer India to a nine-wicket victory over Australia in the third ODI here on Saturday, preventing a whitewash in the three-match series that Australia won 2-1.
Rohit struck his 50th international hundred, finishing unbeaten on 121, while Kohli contributed a composed 74 not out, putting together a 168-run partnership off 170 balls for the second wicket. India chased down Australia’s below-par 236 in just 38.3 overs, after opener Shubman Gill added 69 runs for the first wicket.
Rohit, in particular, displayed his trademark fluency, punishing spinners and finding the gaps with effortless drives and inside-out sixes. Kohli, recovering from two successive ducks, paced his innings with calculated singles and timely boundaries, including a straight drive off Mitchell Starc that drew applause from the Sydney crowd.
Indian bowlers set the stage for the chase. Harshit Rana led the attack with 4/39, extracting pace and bounce off a fresh SCG pitch, while spinners applied tight pressure in the middle overs. Australia got off to a solid start with 61 runs for the first wicket between skipper Mitchell Marsh (41) and Travis Head, but struggled to build partnerships after Head’s dismissal. Contributions from Cameron Renshaw (56) and Alex Carey kept the total competitive but not imposing.
India’s fielding was equally sharp. Kohli held a reflex catch at backward point to dismiss Matthew Short, and Shreyas Iyer pulled off a diving catch to remove Carey, though he had to leave the field for a rib injury assessment.
Rohit reached his fifty in 63 balls, accelerating to complete his century in 105 deliveries. Kohli’s fifty came off 56 balls. With the pair dominating, Australia’s bowlers were unable to make further breakthroughs. The win provided a fitting finale for Rohit and Kohli on Australian soil, possibly their last outing here.
Scoreboard:
India: Rohit Sharma 121*; Virat Kohli 74*; Shubman Gill 24; Extras 18; Total 237/1 in 38.3 overs
Fall of wicket: 1-69 (Gill)
Australia bowling: Mitchell Starc 5-0-31-0, Josh Hazlewood 6-1-23-1, Nathan Ellis 7.3-0-60-0, Cooper Connolly 5-0-36-0, Adam Zampa 10-0-50-0, Mitchell Owen 1-0-2-0, Matthew Short 4-0-29-0
