(Image source from: x.com/BCCI)
Most of the fans at SCG got to see what they hoped for as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, likely playing their last games in Australia, led India to a satisfying nine-wicket win that kept them from being whitewashed in the series. Rohit, building on his aggressive 73 from Adelaide, struck his 33rd ODI century off 105 balls, marking his ninth against Australia, while Kohli bounced back from his two early ducks with an unbeaten 74 in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 40,587, who cheered every moment. The duo, having over 26,000 ODI runs combined, ended their innings with an unbroken partnership of 168 runs from 170 balls, as Rohit closed in on the target with a series of boundaries before Kohli finished the game with a gentle shot to deep third.
India put on a strong display after Australia dramatically fell from 183 for 3, losing 7 wickets for just 53 runs and getting out for 236. Matt Renshaw's first ODI half-century gave them a solid start, with all top six batsmen scoring at least 23, yet none could push further as Harshit Rana achieved a career-best 4 for 39, while India's spin trio bowled effectively. Rohit and Shubman Gill set a good foundation for the chase, but even as the openers fulfilled their roles, the cheers for Kohli grew even louder. Shortly after Gill hit Cooper Connolly for six, he edged a ball from Josh Hazlewood to slip, setting the stage for Kohli. When Kohli arrived at the crease, the cheers were immense, particularly when he hit his first ball for a single with a flick past mid-on. Kohli responded to the moment with a smile and a fist pump.
From then on, it was mostly the usual Kohli fans have admired - his straight drive off Mitchell Starc stood out - though he was a bit lucky to survive an lbw call against Nathan Ellis on 36, which was just millimeters from being overturned by DRS. One highlight of Rohit's innings was a lofty drive for six against Adam Zampa, and he later hit another six off the leg-spinner with a slog sweep. He reached his century in a calm manner with a neat shot to long-off, followed by a gentle wave to the crowd. Although the series was already decided, Australia chose not to rest either Hazlewood or Mitchell Starc. Together they bowled only 11 overs – Hazlewood performed well again – but they were not brought back for more when the match result was certain, perhaps hinting at future plans. Ellis, who replaced Xavier Bartlett, had a tough outing.
Mitchell Marsh decided to set a goal after winning the coin toss, which marked India's 18th straight loss in ODIs. He and Travis Head, who became the quickest Australian man to reach 3000 ODI runs, increased their scoring during the first ten overs, with Marsh hitting Prasidh Krishna's first delivery for six in an over that yielded 13 runs.
Australia was gaining momentum when Head hit a soft catch to backward point, but their run rate of over six at that moment turned out to be misleading. Just two balls later, India almost took a second wicket after a mix-up left Matt Short stranded, but Gill missed breaking the stumps. Marsh's strong innings came to an end right after the break as he tried to create space against Axar Patel and was bowled. A period of calm followed as Short and Renshaw settled into their innings. Short, who achieved a personal best of 74 in Adelaide, built a solid foundation when he swept Washington Sundar to square leg, where Kohli took a sharp catch, delighting many fans in the stands.
Renshaw did not hit a four until his 33rd ball when he strongly pulled Sundar through the leg side, but he efficiently kept the score moving, reaching fifty in just 48 balls. Alex Carey struggled to find his rhythm, managing only 8 runs off 23 balls, but got a second chance as Krishna couldn't hold onto a difficult catch while chasing from long-on. He and Renshaw had set a solid stage for pushing the score when both were dismissed within four overs. Carey was dramatically caught by Shreyas Iyer, who ran backwards from backward point, catching the ball over his shoulder and landing painfully. He left the field with the physio during the break that followed and was taken to the hospital for evaluation during India's batting.
Renshaw, who is vying for a spot in the Test team for the Ashes, was then given out lbw to Sundar when he came down the pitch, with the DRS confirming the ball would have hit the middle and leg. In Adelaide, Connolly and Mitch Owen had a partnership that significantly favored Australia, but this time it didn’t happen. Owen, who stayed on the leg side of the ball, edged a rising delivery from Rana to slip, which left the bowlers to finish with more than 12 overs left, resulting in them being bowled out with 20 balls still to play. However, what the audience had truly come to see happened next.
