Australians avoid whitewash after a big victory in the last ODI: Player ratings for the Visitors
Team India dominated Australia in the first two matches but the Pat Cummins-led side launched a good comeback in the third ODI with Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Starc returning to the fold after their lengthy injury layoffs.
David Warner, Steve Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne displayed consistency and answered some questions ahead of the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup but Cummins and co. would be hoping for a solution to the lower middle-order woes that were once again exposed by the hosts in this 3-match ODI series. Let us take a look at the performances of Australian players for the same:
Batters
David Warner (8.5/10): There were questions raised over David Warner’s form in the past but the way he responded recently has been outstanding. Warner is quite well-versed with the Indian conditions and he took a massive advantage of this by scoring three half-centuries.
The southpaw ended the series as the second-highest run-getter with 161 runs in three games at an average of around 54. With seven sixes and 19 fours, Warner was consistent throughout the tournament, also his strike rate was impressive with 128. David Warner’s consistency has been a great positive for Australia ahead of the World Cup.
Mitchell Marsh (7/10): Mitchell Marsh has proved himself to be a top contender for the opening slot in the World Cup. The right-hander played a sensational innings of 96 runs in the final ODI to help his side end the series on a positive note.
Mitchell Marsh played an exceptional knock of 96 in the final ODI
The 31-year-old hammered Indian pacers towards the start of the innings and put them under pressure early. Undoubtedly, Marsh would be key for Australia in the upcoming World Cup.
Steven Smith (7/10): Steve Smith is one of the vital players for Australia across formats. He had a good series with the bat as the right-hander scored 115 runs in the series. His knock of 74 in the final ODI helped Australia put a big total on the board.
Smith started off well in the series with a knock of 41 in the first game, however, the team lost in the end because of some exceptional batting from India including Shubman Gill’s top-notch innings of 74.
Marnus Labuschagne (7.5/10): Marnus Labuschagne is another player who impressed in the series, thanks to his excellent innings in the last ODI of 72 runs. Though he looked good in the first two matches, the right-hander couldn’t convert those innings into a big score.
There are a lot of expectations from Labuschagne in the middle-order because of his ability to play spin well, however, he had a terrible time against Ravichandran Ashwin in the first two matches.
Josh Inglis (4.5/10): Josh Inglis kept wickets in the first match due to the unavailability of Alex Carey and he stood up to the job with both bat and gloves. The right-hander scored run-a-ball 45 in the first game and played almost till the end.
He was a part of the squad for the next game alongside Carey, however, did not impress with the bat and was not included in the final match. He is a part of the World Cup squad and the 28-year-old would look to give his best during the tournament.
Alex Carey (3/10): Alex Carey is the regular wicket-keeper for Australia who was below average in the recently concluded series. With hardly any contribution with the bat, Carey has to find his rhythm before the mega event in India. Undoubtedly, he is a great wicket-keeper for the side but it is important for Australia that he should score runs with the bat.
All Rounders
Cameron Green (2/10): It was a forgettable series for the Mumbai Indians player, Cameron Green, as he could only pick up three wickets in the entire series. He was taken to the cleaners as he conceded 103 runs in the second match when India ended up with 399 runs.
With the bat, he could only score 59 runs in three matches with the highest of 31 runs coming in the first match only. It would be interesting to see how he is going to play the role of an all-rounder in the World Cup.
Marcus Stoinis (4.5/10): Explosive batsman Marcus Stoinis only played one game in the series and couldn’t do much with both and ball. He went wicketless with the ball, however, played a few good shots with the bat for his contribution of 29 runs. Stoinis is one of the main players for the Aussies in the upcoming World Cup, therefore, it is important for him to be at his best for the major tournament.
Sean Abbott (6/10): Sean Abbott picked up only two wickets in the series but he surprised everyone with the bat after scoring 54 runs off 36 balls in the second game. Though Australia lost the match by 99 runs in the end (DLS method), it was his innings that kept the Australians’ hopes alive.
It was good to see the right-hander striking well in the second match as it was one of the positives for Australia and Abbott would be looking to play a similar role in the World Cup as well.
Glenn Maxwell (8/10): Glenn Maxwell is one such player who can turn the game in Australia’s favour at any point with the bat, but this time, the right-hander did the magic with the ball. He picked up four crucial wickets for his side in the final game to make sure that they won the game by a big margin.
Glenn Maxwell picked up four wickets in the final ODI
Maxwell picked up the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Washington Sundar, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer, with all of them playing well at that time. The all-rounder would now look to maintain his bowling rhythm in the World Cup as well.
Bowlers
Pat Cummins (4/10): With only two wickets in two matches, Pat Cummins had an average outing against India in this series. The skipper needs to step up in the World Cup if Australia wants to play well throughout. The 30-year-old is a quality pacer and has all the ability to make the best use of conditions.
Josh Hazlewood (5/10): Josh Hazlewood is one of the key bowlers for Australia in the World Cup, however, he was quite average in the recent ODI series against India. With only three wickets in two matches, Hazlewood bowled at an average of 35 in the series.
Mitchell Starc (3.5/10): Mitchell Starc played just one game in the series and took one wicket of KL Rahul in the third match. He will start as a primary bowler for Australia in the World Cup, however, he looked quite ordinary in the match that took place in Rajkot. He went for 53 runs in his 7 overs at an economy of 7.60.
Adam Zampa (5.5/10): Adam Zampa would be key for Australia keeping in mind his experience and the leg spin on Indian pitches. He picked up three wickets in the series but surely has the ability to bowl even better in the tournament. Zampa got the wickets of both opening batters Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shubman Gill in the first game when they were cruising towards their centuries.Tanveer Sangha (2.5/10): Being a leg-break bowler, it is always an advantage to bowl on Indian pitches but Sangha failed to do that. He could only pick up one wicket of Ravindra Jadeja but spent 61 runs for that. It is still early days for the youngster and he will surely learn a lot from here.