Following his side's 21-run win over India in the third ODI, Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh said there is some natural aggression in his batting which he enjoys.
Virat Kohli's half-century went in vain as Adam Zampa's four-wicket haul and all-round team effort helped Australia defeat India by 21 runs in the third and last match of the ODI series here at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday. "It is just natural aggression when I am batting. Growing up at the WACA (Western Australian Cricket Association) I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I was really glad that I could come in and perform. I am coming off an extended break. Sometimes in international cricket, you need time to do that. I have come fresh, and provided energy," said Marsh in a post-match presentation. After electing to bat first, Australia made 269 runs in 49 overs. Openers Travis Head (33) and Mitchell Marsh (47) started the innings well with a 68-run partnership. But all-rounder Hardik Pandya swung the tide in India's favour dismissing both the openers and Steve Smith (0) to reduce visitors to 85/3. David Warner (23) and Marnus Labuschagne (28) failed to score big. Half of the Aussie lineup was back in the hut for 138 runs. Following this, wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey (38) and Marcus Stoinis (25) stitched a 58-run stand for the sixth wicket, which was broken by Axar Patel. Sean Abbott (26) and Ashton Agar (17) put on 42 runs for the eighth wicket and this pushed Australia to 269. Hardik Pandya (3/44) and Kuldeep Yadav (3/56) were impressive with the ball and provided timely breakthroughs. Mohammed Siraj (2/37) and Axar Patel (2/57) also performed well. In the chase of 270, India was off to a solid start, with openers Rohit Sharma (30) and Shubman Gill (37) playing some aggressive shots and putting on 65 runs for the first wicket. Following the departure of openers with the score at 77/2, Virat Kohli (54) and KL Rahul (32) put a stand of 69 runs for the third wicket. Virat got out after playing a rash shot, reducing the hosts to 185/5. After this, India continued to lose wickets regularly and despite Hardik Pandya's knock of 40 runs, they fell 21 runs short of a win. Adam Zampa was the star of Australian bowling, taking 4/45. Agar also took 2/41. Stoinis and Abbott got a wicket each. Marsh was named the 'Man of the Series' for scoring 194 runs in three innings at an average of 97.00, with the best score of 81 and two half-centuries. Brief score: Australia 269 (Mitchell Marsh 47, Alex Carey 38; Hardik Pandya 3-44) vs India 248 (Virat Kohli 54, Hardik Pandya 40; Adam Zampa 4-45). (ANI)
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