India vs Australia 2017, 5th ODI: 5 reasons why India won at Nagpur

The India-Australia ODI series ended with the hosts comprehensively winning the final ODI at Nagpur by seven wickets to seal the series 4-1, the same margin by which Australia had beaten India in an ODI series last year. This win also marked India’s 8th consecutive series win over Australia at home.

Australia batted first and got off to a swift start thanks to Aaron Finch and David Warner but some brilliant bowling by Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah (during his second spell), and Kedar Jadhav resulted in the downfall of their key batsmen, restricting the visitors to 242/9.

In reply, India were cruising from the very beginning as Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane put up their third consecutive 100+ partnership of the series. Following Rahane’s dismissal, Rohit Sharma continued to smash the opposition bowling, going on to reach his century.

By the time Sharma was dismissed, India were in cruise control and chased down the target with 43 balls to spare. Sharma was adjudged the Man of the Match and Hardik Pandya was deservedly adjudged the Player of the Series due to his consistent performances with both bat and ball.

Let’s take a look at five reasons why India were able to end the series on a high at Nagpur.

#5. Kedar Jadhav’s spell

It came as a surprise to many when Hardik Pandya was not given the ball in the 14th over, especially after having taken the wicket of Aaron Finch in his previous over. Instead, he was replaced by Kedar Jadhav.

Jadhav bowled economically in his first three overs, conceding only 11 runs. During his fourth over, Jadhav bowled a low, flat delivery at Steve Smith who could not position himself quickly enough to play the pull shot. The ball hit his pad right in front of the middle stump and he was gone.

While Jadhav conceded 13 runs off his final over, he still ended with 1/48 from his 10 overs.

#4. Australia's struggles during the death

Stoinis could not play very aggressively late on

Australia were off to a steady start but following the dismissals of Aaron Finch, David Warner, and skipper Steve Smith, their run-rate began to gradually dip.

The likes of Travis Head and Marcus Stoinis weren’t able to elevate the scoring rate of the Australia, which at one time, was close to 6.

Stoinis and Head did add 87 for the fifth wicket but the partnership came from 112 balls. Following the departure of the two, Matthew Wade and James Faulkner could not contribute much. Had a little aggression been shown by the middle-order batsmen, Australia could have easily crossed at least the 275-run mark.

#3. Axar Patel’s spell

Axar Patel had a brilliant day with the ball

Axar Patel was pretty disappointing in the last game as he conceded 66 runs with the ball and scored only 5 with the bat. However, today, he made up for that with his brilliant bowling. The 23-year-old landed the ball in the right areas, baffling the Aussie batsmen in the process.

Patel took his first wicket when he dismissed the dangerous David Warner who looked well-settled at 53. He then dismissed Peter Handscomb before bowling out Travis Head. He eventually ended with figures of 3/38 from his 10 overs.

Axar's spell, particularly his dismissal of David Warner, is one of the key reasons behind India’s victory.

#2. The opening partnership

Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane posted their third consecutive 100+ partnership in the series

Like in the third and fourth ODIs, the Indian run chase began brilliantly as Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane piled on the runs steadily. Rahane smashed boundaries with sublime timing and immaculate footwork while Rohit Sharma was brutally elegant.

Both players reached their half-centuries, adding 124 for the opening wicket before Rahane departed for 61. However, more than half of the target had already been chased down by then.

#1. Rohit Sharma’s brilliant knock

Rohit Sharma blasted 125 off just 109 balls

As mentioned in the previous slide, the openers did a terrific job by chasing down more than half the target by themselves. Rahane was dismissed for 61 but Rohit Sharma was still at the crease.

The Mumbai Indians skipper reached his century and was given fine assistance by Virat Kohli who was playing a rather patient innings.

Sharma scored 125 before being dismissed by Adam Zampa with India only 20 runs away from victory. Sharma was rightfully adjudged the Man of the Match.