India beat Australia by nine wickets in the final ODI of the three-match series at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, October 25. This game will be remembered for the performances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who calmly guided India's run chase of 237. Sharma won the Player of the Match award for his unbeaten 121, while Kohli sealed the win with the final boundary and remained not out on 74.
Australia had earlier batted first and put on quite a mediocre total of 236 on the board before being bowled out. Openers Mitchell Marsh (41) and Travis Head (29) got the Aussies off to a decent start, but they were not able to convert it into a big total. Matt Renshaw, batting at number four, was the leading run-scorer for the hosts with a 58-ball 56. None of the other Australian batters were able to convert their starts into big scores. Five of them, apart from Renshaw, crossed the 30-run mark. Seamer Harshit Rana was the most successful bowler for India with figures of 4-39.
Despite being criticised before the tour for his selection, Rana proved the naysayers wrong by sending the likes of Alex Carey, Mitchell Owen, Cooper Connolly, and Josh Hazlewood back to the pavilion. In reply, India did not seem to be in any trouble at all and virtually cruised to their target inside 39 overs. Although captain and opener Shubman Gill got out for 24, nicking one to wicketkeeper Carey off Hazlewood, the Indians did not lose heart. Sharma and Kohli, who have held the Indian ODI batting together for more than a decade now, are being overlooked by the selectors with a lot of talk of them not being fit and young for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
However, the duo rolled back the years with brilliant shots. Sharma stood tall against the seamers, while Kohli showed composure under the lights. Sharma was strong off his back foot, and Kohli took charge in the middle overs, hitting seven boundaries. Sharma struck 13 boundaries and three sixes. Both former captains used their experience to wear down the Australian attack on a batting-friendly pitch. Sharma ended the tour with the Player of the Series award.