India v Australia 2017, 5th ODI: Hits and Misses

After a rare blip in the fourth game of the ODI series, India bounced back strongly to take it 4-1 with a dominant performance at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur on Sunday (October 1).

After being put in to field by Australia, Virat Kohli’s men exuded complete confidence with the ball in the first innings. They showed intent in the field and put on a disciplined performance, more so in the last 10 overs of the game. They were successful in restricting Australia to a humble total of 242-9 at the end of 50 overs.

If they were disciplined with the ball, they were ridiculously powerful with the bat. They chased the target in 42.5 overs, losing just three wickets in the process. It should be noted that two of those three wickets came in the last seven overs of the innings, long after the team had already pocketed the victory.

This match, and this series in extension, have both been a testament to India’s supremacy in the format. Let us look at the hits and misses of the game:

#1 Hit: Rohit Sharma

One of the biggest masterstrokes of MS Dhoni’s captaincy career was to promote Rohit Sharma to the top of the order. It not only changed the fortunes of the batsman but of the Indian batting order as a whole.

The right-handed batsman scored his 14th ODI century today, with elegance and poise. He also crossed the milestone of 6000 ODI runs with this knock.

Partnering beautifully with Ajinkya Rahane at the top of the order, Sharma made sure that Australia did not get a sniff of victory. The highlights of his innings were two sumptuous sixes over mid-wicket.

He scored 125 off 109 deliveries before he was dismissed while trying to score a six in the same area again.

Sharma easily is the most dependable opener in world cricket right now and is scaling new heights with each match and series.

#2 Miss: Steve Smith

Steve Smith failed yet again

Steve Smith was the top performer in the Test series against India earlier this year. He carried his form into the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League that followed.

However, the Australian skipper has not been able to replicate the same after donning the yellow jersey. He could not create an impact in the series, and failed in the final game as well. He arrived at the crease when Australia were in a decent position at 66-1, but could only steer them to 34 more runs before falling to Kedar Jadhav.

He will look to find some semblance of form before the three-match T20 series against the hosts. India have been relatively weak in the shortest format of the game. If Australia are to take advantage of that vulnerability, it is crucial that their captain and best batsman ups his game soon.

#3 Hit: Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane scored four consecutive fifties in the series

The Indian opening pair made it into the ‘hits’ of this series in the last two ODI games. The duo is now listed individually this time around. That’s how consistent they have been, that’s how much their games have ascended over the course of the series.

The duo displayed a beautiful cacophony of classical cricket and stitched three back-to-back hundred run stands in the series.

Rahane, who came in as Shikhar Dhawan’s replacement, has been a rock at the top of the order. He scored four consecutive fifties and ended the series with an average of 48.80.

The right-handed batsman is grabbing every opportunity that he is getting in the shorter format of the game and making a strong statement with each innings. He is an ideal substitute for the top three in the batting order and can be a dependable addition every time Sharma, Dhawan or Kohli are unavailable.

#4 Miss: James Faulkner

Faulkner has had a series to forget

The Man of the Match in Australia’s victory over New Zealand in the final of the ODI World Cup in 2015 has been unable to bring his best to the table for a long, long time.

James Faulkner was brought into this series along with Nathan Coulter-Nile as replacements for the regular bowling duo of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. While Coulter-Nile has been Australia’s stand-out cricketer in this series, Faulkner has failed to make his mark.

He failed to provide the final boost that Australia needed at the end of the first innings when he was run out by the Hardik Pandya-MS Dhoni duo.

He gave away 37 runs in the 5.5 overs that he bowled in the second innings and could not get a wicket to his name. An economy of 6.3 in a game where the opposition are chasing just 243 is simply unacceptable.

#5 Hit: Axar Patel

Axar Patel got rid of the dangerous David Warner

Axar Patel got into the playing XI in the 4th ODI of the series, but did not have the best of games. The flat pitch on offer at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore certainly did not help the spinner’s cause.

The man made a thumping comeback in Nagpur though. He scalped three wickets in his ten-over spell, while conceding just 3.8 runs per over. David Warner, who has been in excellent form in the last couple of games, was looking dangerous at the crease. His avalanche was halted by Patel at a crucial point of the innings.

He was also the one to break the dangerous partnership between Travis Head and Marcus Stoinis, initiating the Indian comeback in the 45th over of the Australian innings.

#6 Miss: Peter Handscomb

Handscomb is coming under increasing pressure after a string of failures

In spite of Matthew Wade being brought back into the team for the 4th ODI, Australia’s reserve keeper, Peter Handscomb, retained his place in the playing XI for the last two games. He was selected at the expense of the out-of-form Glenn Maxwell.

The 26-year-old played decently to score 43 in the 4th ODI, but could not get going in the fifth. He was one of Patel’s three victims and fell for a meagre 13 off just 17 deliveries.

The man from Melbourne impressed in the Test series, but struggled in the ODI series against the same opposition, just like his skipper. The upcoming Ashes will be a make-or-break series for the right-handed batsman, provided he still manages to make the cut.