IND vs AUS: India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Steve Smith has the skills to take lead the Australian team and that it’s a match made in heaven. Ashwin’s comment came on Wednesday night after Smith led Australia to defeat India in the 3rd and final ODI by 21 runs in. Despite the absence of their skipper Pat Cummins, Australia were able to quickly reset and dominate the Indian team as they sealed the series with a 21-run win in Chennai on Wednesday under stand-in skipper Steve Smith. Follow Latest Cricket News Live on InsideSport.IN
Ashwin’s tweet on Smith as Australia win over India
Impressed with Smith’s leadership, Ashwin took to Twitter and wrote, “Steve Smith and captaincy is a match made in heaven.”
Steve smith and captaincy is a match made in heaven👌#INDvAUS
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) March 22, 2023
Australia seemed to have changed their entire approach when Smith took over as the skipper in Cummins’ absence from the third Test in Indore. The 33-year-old’s leadership skills were hailed as impressive after the Ausssie’s made an dramatic comeback in the 3rd Test after going down 0-2 in the Border-Gavaskar series. Smith managed to lead his side to draw the fourth Test in Ahmedabad.
Smith did something similar in the ODI series as well. After losing the first ODI, the Aussies hit back in the second and leveled the series 1-1. Smith’s proactive and tactically sound approach in his bowling changes and field placings were impressing.
The Indian batting unit faltered under relentless pressure from the Australian spinners as the visitors won the three-match ODI series 2-1. Chasing a target of 270 on a tricky Chennai pitch, India were all out for 248 in 49.1 overs as Australia came back to win in the series.
The series defeat is an indicator that the Indian team is far from prepared for the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 and far too many loose ends are needed to be tied.
Australia were the last international team to beat India in a bilateral ODI series when they beat India back in 2019. The score-line for the 5-match series was 3-2 in Australia’s favor. Since that series defeat, India had managed to win seven back-to-back bilateral ODI series at home, that streak has now been ended.
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