Video of Rohit Sharma 119 Runs : 8 Fours 6 Sixes : IND vs AUS

India vs Australia, 3rd ODI, 19 January, 02:30 PM IST

Match Result : India won by 7 wickets

Player of the Match : Rohit Sharma

Match Report : Of ten-wicket run-chases and reality checks, it’s been a journey that has lasted six days, but has seen a remarkable turnaround for the Indian team. The big loss at Mumbai had seen several write India off far too early in the series, and the hosts have re-asserted their dominance at home once more, avenging the come-from-behind win by Australia just ahead of the 2019 World Cup with a shortened version of the same less than a year later.

As for the run-chase, there was no slack from the Indians despite the early blow that was the injury to Shikhar Dhawan. After the early wicket of Rahul, the top two ODI batsmen in the world had to be separated, and even the fierce pace and hostility of the Australian attack failed to do so early on. It was only after Rohit’s dismissal, that Australia saw a chance, but Kohli continued on his attacking play until the chase was all but sealed. And last but certainly not the least, Shreyas Iyer’s knock was pivotal to close out the chase – and that India did.

Ravi Shastri: “The boys showed great character. The reason I say character is because after the thrashing in Mumbai, to have the belief that they can do it and do it two games in a row with one day travel is an outstanding achievement. Once they got off to a start, they (Rohit-Virat) realised they are up against a team that is always looking for wickets.

So the way both batted with a lot of responsibility. The way Shreyas finished will do him a world of good. If sides are planning to take us apart in the last ten overs and then there could be a surprise. We have a lot of variety. The good old yorker. The game might be 130 years old, but that is still the best ball in one-day cricket. I don’t care who the batsman is. If you execute properly, you are going to get him.

The exposure the young players get playing against an opponent like this will stand them in good stead. The next time they play any opposition, the entire mindset will be different for them. Saini is rapid. If he gets it right, he will tickle a few. Really proud of the guys.”

Rohit Sharma | Man of the match: “It was an important game, a decider, and we wanted to just enjoy ourselves. To keep that Australian batting line-up to less than 290 was impressive. Once KL got out, we knew we needed to stitch together a big partnership, and no better person than the captain himself to do that.

It was important to get that partnership from the team’s perspective. We had that talk in the middle – one of the two of us needs to continue, and we couldn’t lose the momentum, especially after the 100-run stand. I was middling and seeing it well, so I said I wanted to play my shots, and take the risks. It came off today, but if we had lost wickets, things would be different.

Australia always comes up with good bowling attacks. Their top three quick bowlers challenge you, they’ve got variety and skills. In the first two games I was trying something different and it didn’t come off.”

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