Highlights, IND vs AUS: India Lose 5th ODI By 35 Runs, Series 2-3 To Australia

Right then, the moral of the story is - Never write off anyone. Australia have achieved the unimaginable. Now, they will head to the UAE to face Pakistan in a 5-match ODI series, starting on 22nd March. The Indian players, on the other hand, will get ready to participate in the lucrative T20 League, starting on 23rd March. We look forward to your company in future. Until then, it's goodbye and cheers!

Victorious Australian skipper, Aaron Finch says it is unbelievable, the fight and resilience they have shown. Mentions they had their backs to the wall but did really well here. States it is important to have a well-balanced side for these conditions as if you only go with attacking batsmen, you will struggle. Further adds that they had a mixture of both and hence did well. Ends by saying a lot of people have written them off but with the team they have, they can surely win the World Cup.

Usman Khawaja is the Player of the Match and Series! He says that scoring hundreds becomes special if you win games also. Feels that it's never easy to beat India at home and they are really excited with this series win. Mentions that they adapted quite well and credits the team performance for this success.

Indian skipper, Virat Kohli says the target was gettable but mentions that Australia got away from them a little bit and they conceded 15-20 runs more towards the end. Admits Australia deserved to win the series as they were more hungry and played with more passion. Further adds they did not even consider the dew as it is not controllable. States there are no excuses and they would want to rectify their mistakes and be ready for the World Cup. Continues saying that they have played quality cricket over the last few months and they can be happy about what they have achieved till now. Ends by mentioning that they are quite clear about what they want to do and there is only one spot which they have to think about, the rest is quite clear.

Now it's Justin Langer's turn to give an interview. He says all the credit goes to the players as they are the ones who have to perform. It is going to be really tough to pick the World Cup squad and that's a good headache for the selectors. Adds that the fight shown by his team is really unbelievable. States he hasn't seen a better player than Virat Kohli and credits him for his performance. Reminds that India had the better of them in Australia and they have taken the revenge. Further says that Jhye Richardson and Pat Cummins are developing a good partnership with the ball and appreciates the effort from Khawaja.

Peter Handscomb and Pat Cummins are giving a quick interview. The former starts by saying that it was his role to try and take it as deep as possible. Mentions that he has enjoyed batting with Khawaja. States that it means a lot to win a series in India and it gives them a lot of confidence. Pat Cummins then says that he hasn't really clicked in this format but has done well here. Hopes the World Cup goes well as they have started to find form and he wants to carry it forward. Ends by saying he enjoys coming to India and he feels really good. Handscomb ends the interview by saying that this achievement is something very special and they are very happy.

Australia were superb in the field. They bowled with purpose and fielded with a lot of intensity. Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson did a brilliant job with the new balls and then their spin twins took over. Nathan Lyon did an efficient job while Adam Zampa once again was pivotal in the middle overs. All in all, a complete team performance from the visiting team and they will be thrilled with this series win. The World champions are peaking at the right time and appear to be ready for their title defense, one can say.

India's chase never got going, to be honest. They lost their star batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli cheaply and then the replacement for MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant also failed to leave his mark. Rohit Sharma held one end tightly for a while and completed 8000 ODI runs in the process but after his departure, the writing was on the wall. Kedar Jadhav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar did form a 91-run alliance to scare the Aussies but both the batsmen got dismissed off consecutive balls and that ended all the hopes for India.

Coming to this game, Aaron Finch won a crucial toss on a slow-looking surface. The batting from the Aussies was once again right on the money as their top order put up a good show. But then the Indian team made a fine comeback post the 33rd over and never allowed the visitors off the hook. The 34-run stand for the 8th wicket between Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson powered Australia to 272/9 and that partnership eventually turned out be the match-winning one.

The long wait is over for Australia! They have beaten India in India in an ODI series after almost 10 years. Great character shown by the new-look Aussie team. They were thin on experience, had quite a few new faces, the conditions were alien but they gave it their all and have upset the Men in Blue in their own backyard. This has turned out to be a very fruitful tour for them as they won the T20I series as well.