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The fourth ODI match in Australia's tour of India 2019 seemed to be a heavy scoring thriller. Yes, a heavy scoring thriller. Both the teams scored mammoth totals. India won the toss and opted to bat first. They made full use of the Mohali pitch and scored 358/9 in 50 overs.
The Aussies, who made a gradual climb towards the mountain, made it look very thrilling. With each wicket, Indian team looked like they got their breakthrough. However, Australians successfully chased down the target, in the end, scoring 359/6 in 47.5 overs.
Could you believe that over 700 runs were scored in the match which the Aussies won? The match has quite some interesting takeaways.
The Indian openers shut some debate about their form
There had been a debate about the form of the Indian openers lately. The pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan haven't been doing well in the last few ODIs against Australia. Usually, home conditions are considered as the players' forte.
Dhawan and Sharma not playing well in home conditions raised some concerns over their form ahead of the impending World Cup. However, just before more fuel can be added to the fire Hitman and Gabbar built a brilliant opening partnership of 193 runs.
Rohit Sharma scored 95 runs from 92 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes at a strike rate of 103.26. Shikhar Dhawan got a century as he notched up a total of 143 runs from 115 balls with 18 fours and 3 sixes at a strike rate of 124.35
The zeal of the Australian batsmen
Aaron Finch was dismissed without scoring any runs. Shaun Marsh got just six runs. The team's experienced top order batsmen clearly did not do any justice. However, some of the batsmen refused to get lukewarm seeing the impossible task.
Indeed it was mission impossible for them, yet they played with fire and zeal. The Indian bowlers were good and took wickets that looked like breakthrough moments but still, the Aussie batsmen did not give up.
A strong 192-run partnership stand by Handscomb (117 total runs from 105 balls) and Khawaja (91 total runs from 99 balls) was the highlight of the Aussie run chase. Even after the partnership got broken, the remaining batsmen did their job well. Especially, the Man of the Match Ashton Turner, who scored a bombastic 84 runs from 43 balls with 5 fours and 6 sixes at an unbelievable strike rate of 195.35.
The record run chase and an upcoming decider
This match showed glimpses of the classic Australian side. This is something the Aussies had been lacking in their recent encounters against India. Taking responsibility and being dedicated to the task helped the Aussies scale the mountain.
This is the fifth highest target successfully chased in ODIs and the highest ODI target chased against India by any team. It also stands to be the highest target successfully chased by Australia in ODIs.
The team appears to be a whole different monster. They are certainly showcasing their bottled up emotions after an embarrassing home series defeat against India earlier this year. Now, the surprised team India will look forward to facing the reinvigorated Australian team in the series decider.
Who do you think will win the decider in Delhi? Let us know in your Comments below
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