India vs Australia, 3rd ODI: Hardik Pandya takes a three-fer

India bowled out Australia for 269 in the 3rd and final ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Hardik Pandya was the man behind India's comeback in the match. Australia were 61/0 in the first 10 overs before Pandya took three wickets in quick succession. Notably, none of the Australian batters touched the 50-run mark, with Mitchell Marsh being their top scorer (47).

Pandya brought India back in the hunt after the Australian openers hammered the bowlers. He broke the crucial partnership between them after the Powerplay ended. Pandya dismissed Travis Head and Steven Smith in back-to-back overs before removing the dangerous Marsh. The Indian seamer snapped up three wickets for just 44 runs in eight overs. Pandya has now raced to 72 ODI wickets.

Australian captain Smith was dismissed for a three-ball duck. Smith, who came at the crease when Australia were 68/1, was dismissed by Pandya in the 13th over. Smith played a loose shot, getting a thick outside edge. Notably, Pandya has now dismissed Smith five times in ODI cricket. Only England's Adil Rashid has dismissed Smith more times in the format (6).

Like the 2nd ODI, Marsh carried his bravado and flair after Australia elected to bat in Chennai. He attacked the Indian bowlers right from the start, keeping the scoreboard ticking. Together, Marsh and Head took Australia past 60 (61/0) in the first Powerplay (0-10).

In white-ball cricket, India have benefitted from Pandya's all-round skills of late. He has successfully regained his bowling potential after recovering from multiple injuries. It is worth noting that Pandya has taken 42 wickets from 44 white-ball games at 24.28 since the start of 2022. He has also slammed 976 runs at 31.48 in this period (Average difference: 7.19).