India vs Australia – Fifth ODI: How India finally won a match against Australia

1. Steady scoring rate

The prime reason for India’s defeats in the series has been their scoring rate during the overs 11-40. In the last match at the Manuka Oval, India chased for the first time in the series and almost registered a victory, before the epic meltdown, which saw them losing nine wickets for 41 runs. Needing 331 off 50 overs at a required rate of 6.62 runs per over, India always kept their scoring rate above the six-run mark and it helped them in the run chase.

India needed 77 runs in the last ten overs for a victory and with seven wickets in hand and set batsmen at the crease, the score was achieved without a flurry of boundaries. With the advent of Twenty20, anything below eight-run per over is considered achievable by the batsmen, and Manish Pandey, supported by MS Dhoni, once again proved it with their performance.

On the other hand, Australia lost too many wickets in the middle overs and their scoring rate moved up above six only after the 31st over. Warner and Mitchell Marsh upped the scoring rate in the last twenty overs, but the Initial dip in the scoring rate caused the Aussies twenty to thirty runs, which could have been handy.

Dhawan’s initial attack also helped the Men in Blue stay near the asking rate even after the dismissal of the opener for 78 off 56 balls.  

2. Manish Pandey and Jasprit Bumrah

Another reason for India’s win in the final ODI is two youngsters – Manish Pandey and Jasprit Bumrah. In the first four ODIs, apart from Dhawan, Rohit, Kohli and Rahane, the other Indian batsmen were going through a struggle.

Pandey, who was dropped after the second ODI at the Gabba, came into the side after an injury ruled out Rahane. The youngster pounced on the chance and took the team home with a very impressive 104 off 81 balls. The calm and composed innings by Pandey, even when Dhoni was struggling at the other end, was the innings India lacked during their collapse in the last ODI.

On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah's performance of two wickets for 40 runs looks really impressive if we consider the performance of other pacers. Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Rishi Dhawan all went for more than six runs an over, with Mitchell Marsh and David Warner dispatching them all over the park. Bumrah’s spell, which saved India, at least, twenty runs, made the difference in the end, with the match going into the final over.

However, India’s win and performance came too late as even after scoring six centuries they ended up on the wrong end of a 1-4 scoreline in the series. India will now move to the Twenty20 series, hoping to out muscle the hosts before the 2016 ICC Twenty20 World Cup.

(Read: India v Australia - Records and statistical highlights after the 5th ODI)