Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli powered India's nine-wicket win in Sydney on Saturday. (AP)Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli broke a heap of ODI records as they powered India’s emphatic nine-wicket win to prevent a series whitewash by Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
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In what was a treat for the Indian fans at the packed SCG stadium, Kohli put the finishing touches to a 237-run chase with an uncharacteristic upper-cut over the wicket-keeper for four, the win sealed in only 38.3 overs.
After losing captain Shubman Gill in the 11th over of the chase, Rohit and Virat turned back the clock several years as they put on an unbeaten 168-run stand off 171 deliveries to earn the Men in Blue a consolatory win in the series that the Aussies bagged with successive wins in Perth and Adelaide.
While apprehensions were held about his form and fitness heading into the series, the 38-year-old Rohit ended the series as the highest run-getter across both sides, collecting 212 runs in three innings. Putting behind the two ducks in the previous two innings in the series, a first in his legendary ODI career, Kohli ticked his way to his 126th fifty-plus score in the format in no time.
The former India captain also notched up a string of milestones as he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar as the highest run-scorer in all white-ball internationals and surpassed Kumar Sangakkara as the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs.
Earlier, pacer Harshit Rana grabbed four wickets and spinner Washington Sundar two as India bundled out Australia for 236 in 46.4 overs.
Sundar (2/44) dismissed Matthew Short (30 off 41 balls) and Matt Renshaw (56 off 58 balls) after Mohammed Siraj (1/24) and Axar Patel (1/18) had shown the way by getting rid of openers Travis Head (29 runs) and Mitchell Marsh (41 runs) respectively.
Pacer Harshit Rana (4/39) further tightened the screws on the Aussie batters by sending back keeper-batter Alex Carey (24) and Mitchell Owen (1) as Australia were reduced to 198/6 in the 38th over from where they couldn’t recover.
Earlier, India skipper Shubman Gill brought in wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna in place of pacer Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
Australia 236 all out in 46.4 overs (Matt Renshaw 56, Mitchell Marsh 41, Matthew Short 30, Harshit Rana 4/39, Washington Sundar 2/44, Axar Patel 1/18, Mohammed Siraj 1/24). India 237 for 1 in 38.3 overs (Rohit Sharma 121 not out, Virat Kohli 74 not out).
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