Australian skipper Steve Smith hailed the lower-order batters for getting them to a score of 269 after winning the third and final ODI of the series against India by 21 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Australia was 138-5 at one stage but the lower order showed all the resistance.

Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey added 58 runs for the sixth wicket whereas Sean Abbot and Ashton Agar added 42 runs for the eighth wicket. Furthermore, Adam Zampa and Mitchell Starc stitched a crucial partnership of 22 runs for the last wicket.

On the other hand, Steve Smith also showered praise on the spin duo of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar. Zampa returned with impressive figures of 4-45 in his quota of 10 overs whereas Agar, playing his first match on India’s tour, took two wickets in his spell. Zampa accounted for Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and KL Rahul.

Agar got the big wicket of Virat Kohli, who had settled at the crease after scoring 54 and also dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for a golden duck with a skidder.

Steve Smith said in the post-match presentation, “It’s been an enjoyable tour. We didn’t play our best cricket, good enough to get over the line. This wicket was entirely different, we left a few out there with the bat. The spinners bowled beautifully, really good performance. (Turning point) It was a real grind in the field. The way the tail stuck and got us to 269, got us to a nice total.”

Meanwhile, Steve Smith was really proactive as a skipper and did a fantastic job in the ODI series. Smith was once again spot-on with his field placements and bowling changes.

With this win, Australia broke India’s four-year unbeaten streak in the home ODI series. The visitors were brilliant with the ball in all three matches and their bowlers deserve a lot of credit for the series win.