IND-AUS 2025 3rd ODI Highlights: Kohli-Sharma Masterclass Seals India’s Farewell Win
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India finally found form in Sydney as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli led a vintage chase, sealing a nine-wicket win and denying Australia a clean sweep in the three-match series, writes Harsh Pareek.
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IN THE END, the script that the packed Indian crowds over the three ODIs had been waiting — and desperately hoping — for played out rather gloriously as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rolled back the years to put on a memorable chase, with glimpses of some vintage form. The match, which was all but certain to mark the last outings in Australia for the duo , saw India finally register a win in the series, albeit a little too late. A dead rubber after Australia secured the series with a two-wicket victory in Adelaide, the third and final ODI in the series was nonetheless significant for India to avoid a whitewash, and for the hosts, a chance to clean sweep their visitors for the first time in a men's bilateral ODI series. ALSO READ | Virat Kohli Is Absent But Not Missing The game in Sydney also prompted the defensive-minded Indian team selection to finally give specialist left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav a go, and for captain Shubman Gill and Kohli to put some runs on the board after their two disappointing outings, the latter bagging a second consecutive duck for the first time in his illustrious ODI career. |
And Yadav did find himself in the starting line-up, as India made two changes, bringing him and Prasidh Krishna in for Arshdeep Singh and an injured Nitish Reddy. Australia, for their part, decided against resting their star pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, with their only change coming in the form of Nathan Ellis replacing Xavier Bartlett, who had an excellent second ODI and was responsible for Kohli's last duck. WATCH | IND vs AUS 3rd ODI replay now streaming on JioHotstar, now available with your OTTplay Premium subscription. After losing their 18th consecutive toss in ODIs (the probability of which is 1 in 2,62,144 or 0.00038%), India set out to bowl under some beautiful conditions at the SCG, and it turned out to be a good innings for the visitors, with the pitch offering bounce for both pacers and spin. Australia started well, though a bit cautiously, with skipper Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, but just as the hosts were beginning to set a rhythm, Head was caught at the backward point by Krishna. That came only a couple of deliveries before a mix-up almost led to Matt Short’s dismissal, but Gill missed the stumps. |
Yadav was introduced in the 11th over, but it was Axar Patel’s first ball after the drinks that did the job, as Marsh was bowled for 41 off 50. Matthew Short, who made a career-best 74 in Adelaide, along with Matt Renshaw, got to work on slowly stabilising Australia's innings. But as the boundaries began to dry up, a sweep by Short off Sundar's delivery, with quite a sting behind it, was caught cleanly by Kohli as the crowd erupted. Halfway through, Australia were 134 for 3, with Renshaw digging in and finding himself easy singles before the momentum was disrupted by a spectacular running catch off Alex Carey by Shreyas Iyer that saw both men leave the ground, the latter due to an injury picked up while taking the catch. And not before long, it was Renshaw's turn to depart as well, who fell lbw to Sundar for 56 off 58 – the side’s top scorer, registering his maiden ODI half-century. |
Cooper Connolly and Mitchell Owen, who had put together a stand to turn things in Australia's favour in the second ODI, couldn't manage a repeat, as Owen found himself in and out within just four balls as he edged Rana’s delivery, caught by Sharma. With only the bowlers left to follow, Mitchell Starc was castled by Yadav, with the hosts now 201 for 7. Rana would go on to bag a couple of wickets, that of Connolly and Josh Hazlewood, as Australia's lower order collapsed, losing their last seven wickets for 53 runs, and leaving 20 deliveries unplayed. All six bowlers used by India would go on to grab at least a wicket, with Rana, who had a mixed bag of an outing last time around, claiming a career-best at 4 for 39. Sundar also came out with an excellent 2 for 44, and Patel went for just 18 in six overs. Australia finished on 236 in 46.4 overs. It was India's turn to chase, and once again all eyes were on the three leading men — Sharma, Kohli and the skipper Gill. Starc and Hazlewood, who've had an exceptional series so far — especially the latter — began the proceedings for Australia. And right off the bat, it was as positive a start as one could have asked for from Sharma. WATCH | Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli's 168-run stand vs AUS in 3rd ODI |
With Nathan Ellis and Starc a bit loose with their deliveries, Sharma capitalised, looking more comfortable with each passing over. The former Indian captain even took on Hazlewood, who, in the 11th over, managed to take out Gill — who once again was looking comfortable — for 24 off 26. But that would be all the success Australia would see in their bowling spell, as Kohli walked out to a huge cheer and a standing ovation from the massive crowd at the SCG. Spin or pace, nothing would work as the two veterans put on the fireworks, and not before long, the hosts looked increasingly flat and out of ideas. The two would reach their fifties in front of an ecstatic crowd, with Kohli soon becoming the second-highest ODI run-scorer, behind only the great Sachin Tendulkar. Sharma, who in a bid to be fitter had lost some 11 kgs in the run-up to the series, looked unstoppable, hitting the boundaries at will. The struggles of the previous outings are now a distant memory. With him at 121 for 125 and Kohli 74 for 81, the two closed the match with an unbroken stand. Winning by nine wickets (with 69 balls remaining), India successfully avoided a series whitewash in the process, managing to finish on a high, and before a crowd who could barely believe what they had just witnessed.
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Madness As Method: The Priyadarshan Legacy Behind The Pet Detective
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Praneesh Vijayan’s film feels like an attempt to reclaim a genre Priyadarshan once ruled with effortless wit — the art of turning flawed, foolish, and flamboyant characters into comic gold. Neelima Menon writes.
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VERY EARLY in Praneesh Vijayan’s The Pet Detective, we get a glimpse of the absurdities ahead — a flashback sequence takes us to a detective caught in the crossfire of a Mexican don’s shooting spree, who later escapes to Kerala to save himself. That becomes the origin story of his son, Private Detective Tony Jose Alula ( Sharaf U Deen), who accidentally stumbles into the business of tracing missing pets. What follows is a parade of quirky characters and a comedy of errors that stretches along a wafer-thin plot. For those who grew up on Priyadarshan’s oddball comedies of the '80s, this isn’t novel, just a familiar echo, minus the same sharpness. Take the characters, for instance — there’s Rajat Menon, a harebrained cop more invested in his rivalry with a schoolmate over a woman than in actual policing; a Mangalore don who’s far less menacing than he appears; a Mexican-Malayali don perpetually at the mercy of his partner; and a social media influencer who’s an unabashed creep. The film teems with such caricatures, each adding to its loud, chaotic humour, even if not all of them land. This feels like the perfect moment for a nostalgic roundup of Priyadarshan’s oddball comic characters, highlighting why they’ve remained so iconic over the years. Stream the latest Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada releases, with OTTplay Premium's Power Play monthly pack, for only Rs 149. |
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