3. India vs Australia, Canberra, 2016
This was real fun! Many of you might have seen it and even memorized what all transpired in there. In a series marked by 300 plus scores being chased without a sweat 3 out of 3 three times (well one was 296 but still close enough), Australia took their turn to put on the total. Warner coming of a paternity leave, seemed hell bent on making up for the missed games. The so-called inexperienced Indian attack was made to sit and take notice of the ineffectiveness of their best efforts.
Aaron Finch and David Warner, with praiseworthy push from Maxwell & Steven Smith, took Australia to the highest total of the series-348. India, the new India of the Kohli and Rohit had this before, against the same opposition, but could they do it again was the question. India started briskly, Rohit hitting sixes at will while Dhawan to say the least-he survived. Rohit perished and Virat took the charge from there on, hitting two boundaries in his first four balls. Now Dhawan found some inspiration, and shredded that patchy batting technique of his and runs started to flow. Both made merry of the third string Australian attack, bringing up their respective centuries. India was cruising along and the finish line was visible- 72 of 75 balls. They made it, it seemed. Their best bowler of the series, Hastings came back took out Dhawan and two balls later, took out the captain Dhoni. The game was surely on. Australia applied some pressure, runs dried; Kohli fell in a moment of reluctance and indecisiveness, and the new-comers ruined the game for India. Shot after shot, panic set in the Indian camp; Gurkeerat Mann got out slogging, Rishi Dhawan forgot he was a lower order bat, not an opener, and the disaster unraveled. From a position of total domination at 277 for 1, India was all out for 323. Another game gifted to the Aussies.
