Share

Sharma's 209 floors Aussies

Bangalore - Rohit Sharma became only the third man to reach 200 in an ODI as India beat Australia by 57 runs to clinch the series in the seventh and final one-day international on Saturday, reports the supersport.com website.

In pursuit of a daunting target of 384, the tourists lost big-hitting Aaron Finch with the second ball of the second over when a Mohammed Shami delivery struck him in front of leg stump for just five.

Things would not get any better for the Australians as they lost Phil Hughes (23), George Bailey (4) and Brad Haddin (40) in the space of less than five overs.

It looked like it was all over for Australia when Nathan Coulter-Nile (3) was caught by Kohli off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja, with the scoreboard reading 211 for eight.

However James Faulkner had other ideas as he bludgeoned his way to the fastest century by an Australian, 100 from 57 balls.

Faulkner and Clint McKay put on 115 runs for the ninth wicket at a rate of 7.75 per over before McKay was bowled by Jadeja for 18 runs.

In search of an improbable victory the inevitable happened when Faulkner skied a Shami delivery and was caught for 116 from 73 balls which included 11 fours and 6 sixes.

Shami and Jadeja finished with three wickets each.

Earlier, 26-year-old Sharma's ferocious double ton launched India to 383 for six.

His innings of 209 came from a mere 158 balls, and included 12 fours and 16 sixes – the most sixes ever in an ODI innings.

Sharma's historic innings came to an end in the last over when he flicked a ball to substitute fielder Moises Henriques, who took a great catch diving forward at fine leg.

MS Dhoni and Sharma put on a mammoth 167 runs for the sixth wicket, which included 101 runs in the last five overs.

India won the ODI series 3-2 with the fourth and fifth matches ending without a result due to bad weather.

Teams:

India


RG Sharma, S Dhawan, SK Raina, V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (captain/ wk), RA Jadeja, R Ashwin, B Kumar, R Vinay Kumar, Mohammed Shami

Australia


AJ Finch, PJ Hughes, SR Watson, GJ Bailey (captain), AC Voges, GJ Maxwell, BJ Haddin (wk), JP Faulkner, NM Coulter-Nile, CJ McKay, XJ Doherty 
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE