India vs Australia 2019, 3rd ODI – To Take Three Big Wickets Early Was Important – Aaron Finch
Mar 9, 2019 at 2:52 PM
After a crucial convincing victory in the Ranchi ODI, the Australian captain Aaron Finch credited the entire team for the win.
Before the third ODI of the five-match ODI series at Ranchi, the visiting side Australia were 2-0 down. So, it was a vital match for the visiting team as they can’t afford another defeat in this series.
After the host side sent them to bat first, Australia scored 313/5 in the first innings. In reply, India was bowled out on 281 runs in 48.2 overs.
Talking about the crucial points of the match, Aaron Finch indicated at their 300+ total and picking up the early three wickets during India’s innings.
Chasing down the 314 runs target, India lost their first three wickets at early on just 27 runs. Apart from both the openers Shikhar Dhawan (1) and Rohit Sharma (14), the no.4 batsman Ambati Rayudu (2) also lost his wicket in that period. Though India fought very hard until the end of the game, Australia was never in danger to lose that game. Finally, they won the match by 32 runs, and the host side is now leading the series by 2-1 with two games to go.
In the post-match presentation ceremony, Aaron Finch said, “It was a pretty good performance from our guys. To get over 300 on this wicket was a good performance. And to take three big wickets early was important.”
It was important for Usman and I to keep going
Once again, the Australian openers Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja got a perfect start. While they had the 83 runs partnership in the last ODI at Nagpur, this time they had the whopping 193 runs partnership for the opening wicket.
While the skipper scored 93 runs off 99 balls, the Player of the Match award winner Usman Khawaja played an innings of 104 runs off 113 balls.
Later, Glenn Maxwell (47 runs off 31 balls), Marcus Stoinis (unbeaten 31 runs off 26 balls) and Alex Carey (unbeaten 21 runs off 17 balls) played some crucial innings that helped the visiting side to post the 300+ ODI total.
Aaron Finch said, “We know how hard it is for new batsmen to try and score quickly, so it was important for Usman and I to keep going. Allowed Maxi and Stoinis to bat freely at the back end.
After some struggling period, the Australian limited-overs captain Aaron Finch has returned to the form. While he scored 37 runs in the last ODI, he just missed hitting a deserving century in this ODI. After the match, the Australian captain claimed that he was confident of returning to the form.
He added, “Personally, I’ve been training really hard, and I had faith that I’d get some runs. And it was nice to start us off with a nice opening partnership.”
Aaron Finch also lauded the Australian bowlers
Apart from Usman Khawaja, Aaron Finch also praised the Aussie bowlers, especially Adam Zampa (3/70), Jhye Richardson (3/37) and Pat Cummins (3/37). All those bowlers played their roles very well which led the side to a crucial victory.
Aaron Finch said, “Usman played a fantastic knock, Zamps bowled well, and Jhye Richardson was great. He put the pressure in the first 10 overs. Patty Cummins was at his best again.”
On this Sunday (10 March), they will play the fourth ODI of the series at Mohali. Meanwhile, they will play the last ODI of the series on 13 March at Delhi.