Embarrassing act as Aussies stun cricket world, end India’s four-year streak

An Indian star claimed an unwanted piece of history as Australia ended the host’s four-year unbeaten series streak at home.

Ashton Agar embarrassed Suryakumar Yadav. Pictures: AFP

Australia has finished its tour of India in stunning fashion, reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking with a 21-run win in the third ODI.

Spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar turned the decider in Chennai to hand India its first series defeat at home since an Usman Khawaja-led Aussie victory in 2019.

After bowling the visitors out for 269 in 49 overs, the hosts had the match in hand with Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya at the crease at 4/185, needing less than a run a ball to claim victory.

But a double strike from Agar turned the match. First he removed in-form Kohli (54) before the world’s top-rated Twenty20 batter Suryakumar Yadav strolled to the crease with huge pressure on his place in the side.

Yadav had been trabbed LBW by Mitchell Starc with the first balls he faced in the first and second ODIs — and in embarrassing scenes was unable to avoid the same fate as Agar struck immeidately.

Suryakumar Yadav was out first ball in all three matches in the series. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

Yadav was clean bowled for his third consecutive golden duck and India’s run chase never recovered. Zampa claimed four wickets as the hosts were knocked over for 248 in the last over.

Suryakumar Yadav didn’t put bat on the ball in the entire series. Three Golden Ducks in three games - LBW twice and bowled once. #IndvAus

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) March 22, 2023

The 2-1 win in the series saw Australia reclaim the world number one ODI ranking and was important practice on South Asian pitches before the World Cup in India later this year.

The series was another huge feather in the cap of Steve Smith as captain, a reminder Mitchell Starc is as fearsome as an white ball bowler in the world and a signal a Mitchell Marsh-Travis Head combination might be the solution at the top of the order.

Stand-in-captain Smith won the toss and chose to bat first in the series-decider.

Steve smith and captaincy is a match made in heaven👌#INDvAUS

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) March 22, 2023

India bowled out Australia for 269 and were cruising in the first 10 overs of their chase before skipper Rohit Sharma fell after a 17-ball 30 with the team at 65-1.

Sharma’s in-form opening partner Shubman Gill fell after a steady 49-ball 37 to leg-spinner Zampa.

India’s star batters Kohli and KL Rahul struck a busy 69-run partnership before Rahul fell to Zampa for 32.

The hosts’ otherwise reliable lower-middle order offered little resistance. All-rounders Hardik Pandya (40) and Ravindra Jadeja (18) also fell to Zampa, who finished with 4-45 in his 10-over spell.

Zampa was named player of the match but said his spin-partner Agar, who finished with 2-41, actually “changed the game”.

“I probably don’t think I deserve this one tonight to be honest,” Zampa said after the game.

“Kudos to the guys who bowled before me as well … We always have a lot of trust in each other, trust in our process and trust in our game plan. and we stick to it,” he added.

Australian pacers Sean Abbott and Marcus Stoinis took one wicket each.

Three wickets apiece from Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav left India in need of 270 to win the series, which stood at 1-1 going into the final game.

Sharma said that Indian batters failed to carry on after getting a start to “take the game deep”.

“All of us were trying our best to go out and achieve that but it just didn’t happen,” the Indian skipper said.

“Obviously a loss like this really hurts. But again we can understand what we need to do better as a team, as a group,” he added.

Australia's Ashton Agar celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of India's Suryakumar Yadav. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

Earlier, Pandya (3-44) and India’s left-arm spinner Kuldeep (3-56) played an important role in restricting Australia to a chaseable 269 in the 49th over.

By the eighth over, in-form openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh had hit 10 boundaries between them, including three sixes, and looked set for a commanding partnership before Pandya took the quick wickets of Head (33), Smith (0) and Marsh (47).

Yadav had the better of the middle order beginning with David Warner, who made 23 batting at number four on his return from the elbow fracture that forced him out of the second Test in February.

Marnus Labuschagne (28) was next but Alex Carey stubbornly held on for another 10 overs before his departure on 38.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel and frontline pacer Mohammed Siraj each took two wickets as Sean Abbott (26), Agar (17) and Mitchell Starc (10) added important runs to a below-par score.

— with AFP