By India suffered a 21-run loss to Australia in the deciding ODI of the three-match series in Chennai, and Rohit Sharma, the Indian skipper, described the loss as a “collective failure”. Despite the target of 270 runs being attainable, Rohit believes that his team failed to build partnerships, especially on the slow turners, which led to their downfall. He said that “partnerships are crucial, and we failed to do that”. Rohit was disappointed by the mode of dismissals and felt that the Indian batters could have applied themselves better and given themselves a chance. However, he also noted that there were positives to take from the nine home ODIs played since January and that the team had five months to prepare for playing in similar conditions.
Rohit praised the Australians for their performance, particularly their spinners, who applied pressure and took wickets throughout the game. Stand-in Australian captain Steve Smith was pleased with his team’s fight back after the Delhi Test match, which resulted in a victory for India. Smith also noted that the wicket was different, but his team performed exceptionally well.
Adam Zampa was awarded the Man of the Match for his 4/45, but he didn’t take all the credit. The leg spinner praised his teammate Ashton Agar, who took 2/41 and changed the game. Zampa also acknowledged that playing in India is always a huge challenge and that his success was due to the team effort.
Overall, the Indian team must learn from their mistakes and improve on their partnerships ahead of the World Cup. The Australian team, on the other hand, will take confidence from their victory in challenging conditions and their ability to fight back after a tough Test series.