Rohit, Virat show plenty left in the tank

Unbeaten 168-run stand seals a nine-wicket win in the final ODI at Sydney Cricket Ground

- Somshuvra Laha

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli turned back the clock with a splendid batting display to help India beat Australia by nine wickets with 11.3 overs to spare in the third ODI in Sydney on Saturday.

Rohit was unbeaten on 121 after bringing up his 33rd hundred, Kohli scored an unbeaten 74 to overtake Kumar Sangakkara and rise to second for most ODI runs, behind Sachin Tendulkar. They raised their 12th partnership of 150-plus ODI runs (168*), going level with Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.

It was a consolation win alright but from a long-term perspective, India now know they have a solid foundation to work on keeping in mind the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Going into the match holding an unassailable 2-0 series lead, Australia managed a paltry 236 after choosing to bat on what was easily the best surface of the series. Matthew Renshaw hit his maiden ODI half-century, but no one else among the other five Aussie batters to cross 20 could convert their starts.