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The Indian cricket team demolished Australia by seven wickets in the fifth and final ODI in Nagpur to win the five-match series 4-1.
Chasing 243 for victory, openers Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane got India off to a perfect start with yet another century partnership. Rahane scored his fourth consecutive half-century but wasn't able to convert it into a hundred once again.
On the other hand, Rohit went on to score his 14th international century as he demolished the Australian bowlers all around the park.
Virat Kohli chipped in with a 39 run knock as the two batsmen put on a 99 run partnership for the third wicket to help take India over the line.
This victory ensured India move up to no. 1 in the ICC ODI rankings. THey had done so after the 3rd ODI as well but they dropped back to no. 2 after the loss in the previous match in Bangalore.
Earlier in the day, the Indian bowlers made a superb comeback after a good opening partnership between David Warner and Aaron Finch. Axar Patel was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets to his name while Jasprit Bumrah grabbed two.
Rohit was named the man of the match while Hardik Pandya was awarded the man of the series award.
India will now take on the Kangaroos in a three-match T20I series beginning on October 5 in Ranchi.
Here is how the cricketers on the field reacted to the match:
Kuldeep Yadav:
It was a tough series for me. I prepared well before the first game and it is difficult to bowl against these batsmen. We always look for wickets, all the spinners look to take wickets in the middle order. After my Test debut for India things have changed, I am getting a lot more chances and it is great to be part of a winning team.
Ravi Shastri:
If you want to be rated as a good team you've got to be relentless. We repeated the job on multiple occasions and that is how we were ruthless in this series. Hitman (Rohit) did a superb job for us in the match, he was brilliant. The death bowling is tremendous. It is all down to skills, when you have bowlers like these, they bring you back in the final overs. They complement each other really well, they have experience, have different actions and hit their yorkers to perfection. Hardik is someone who can take on the bowling right from the start, he is a floater for us. I haven't seen striking like that, probably Yuvraj in his youth but this guy is special and still has the exuberance of youth. We can raise the bar in the fielding and we can seize the big moments. We also need batsmen to carry on after they score 60s and 70s, quite like what Rohit did today.
Ajinkya Rahane:
I think this wicket wasn't easy, 240 was a job well done with the ball, but when we batted, the ball was coming really slowly, I enjoyed my knock today. I always want to do my best, Shikhar and Rohit have done well for us, we love the competition. Me and Rohit complement each other, we know our strengths, we wanted to time the ball and get a good opening partnership, that gave us the momentum. We never took them (Australia) lightly, they are a quality team and we need to recognise that. But we were playing at home and we knew these pitches better.
Steve Smith:
Probably a 300 wicket. One of our top four needed to make a big score. Lost wickets in clumps again. Have a few things to look at to try and improve and gain the consistent performances we're after. Just need to get the right balance of the way we want to play and get consistent performances. We've been outplayed and deserve to lose 4-1. A lot of our players have played a lot of cricket in India, can't use that as an excuse. Still got to try and keep a positive frame of mind. India are a very good cricket team, they've got a very good balance. We have six or so days until the 3-match T20I series. We'd like to go home with a trophy.
Rohit Sharma:
I guess it was a bit of cramp, the weather has been hot. That's always been my thing - to keep it simple. And that has worked for me. Certain areas I keep working off the field. Nothing comes easy. I know my strengths and weaknesses. Initially, it was tough, the Australians changed their plans. They were much straighter compared to the previous game. I would love to have such a record against all the teams. Love playing against the Australians, they're competitive and never give anything easily. That probably brings out the best.
Hardik Pandya:
When I went to bat at No. 4, got a few runs, and the team won the series. There is always a scope of improvement. I'm just focusing on that, working hard on my fitness. Pretty important to keep myself fit. It's always a pleasure to play against Australia. I was looking forward to this series. Really happy that I got this award, and we won the series.
Virat Kohli:
It feels good. It was a really convincing series win for us. Ticked all boxes. Happy with the way the team played. We repeated the way we played against Sri Lanka, proud of that. It's become second nature for them, the management plays a big part in motivating the players. We had a chance to retain the No. 1 spot and we ended up doing well. Bhuvi and Bumrah have been outstanding for us, have been a class apart. Whenever the game has slipped away, they've pulled it back nicely. Hardik Pandya has been the biggest positive. Good headaches, you don't mind them. These guys have made it possible by their hard work.
Here is how the cricketing fraternity reacted to the series win:
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