Team India skipper Rohit Sharma cut a depressed figure following the third and final ODI against Australia, which the visitors won by 21 runs to win the series.
India’s mistakes in the chase were identified by Rohit during the post-match presentation:
At one point, the Men in Blue were 146/2, but they quickly lost their way and were bowled out for 248 in the final over. Only one batter scored more than 50 runs, and as many as three were struck out in the 30s.
During the third one-day international against Australia, there are three Indian batters who displayed a lack of game awareness.
#3 Hardik Pandya
In the third one-day international against Australia, Hardik Pandya was one of India’s best players.
Hardik eliminated the dangerous Australian top three of Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, and Steve Smith with an important three-wicket haul on a surface that didn’t give him much to work with.
In his run-a-ball performance, the all-rounder then made a significant contribution with the bat, hitting three fours and one six. He started by attacking the Australian bowlers, but after the Men in Blue lost two quick wickets, he reined it in.
However, Hardik fell into a trap that was all too obvious, and the manner in which he was fired was shocking. The all-rounder made an ugly hoick across the line and was caught on the edge of the circle when he was up against Adam Zampa, who only had two overs left.
Smith had prepared his field for that specific method of dismissal, and the leg spinner was coming to an end. The leg-side area was somewhat open for Hardik to attempt a cross-batted shot, and the batter almost found a straight long-on with the first ball of the over.
#2 Virat Kohli
Despite scoring 54 runs in the second innings, the chase master appears to be losing control. He was run out midway through his innings in an effort to up the ante, something that old Kohli would never have done.
Ashton Agar sent Kohli back to the hut in the 36th over after causing trouble for the No. three batters during his spell. The former skipper had only one over remaining when the left-arm spinner attempted an inside-out loft on the previous over.
However, Kohli made an odd attempt at the same shot while refusing to play Agar’s final over. As the Men in Blue lost half of their team, he found David Warner at long-range and gave Suryakumar Yadav, who was not performing well, to an excited Agar.
Given that he had a narrow escape just a few balls earlier, Kohli really ought to have avoided any risks in the bowler’s final over.
#1 Ravindra Jadeja
Despite the fact that Ravindra Jadeja has been playing international cricket for a considerable amount of time, he has definitely not mastered the skill of batting with the tail. In point of fact, when he runs out of partners at the other end, he almost always appears to select the incorrect option.
After Hardik Pandya tried to hoick Zampa across the line and holed out, Jadeja only had Kuldeep Yadav for the company in the series decider. With five overs remaining, the required run rate was nine, so he had to take chances at some point. However, it shouldn’t have been in the 46th over, the leg spinner’s final one.
Jadeja danced down the line and worked hard to get a top edge that ended up in Marcus Stoinis’ hands despite the fact that he had seen Hardik attempt the same thing and fail. He had four pace overs remaining in the match, two of which would have been bowled by a part-timer Stoinis, known for his difficulty attacking spin.
However, Kuldeep and Co. were left with too much work to do after Jadeja was unnecessarily dismissed with 29 balls remaining. The left-hander struggled to rotate strike even while at the plate, frequently attempting ill-advised lofted shots.