Australia captain Steve Smith said it has been 'an enjoyable tour' for the visitors after they outclassed India by 21 runs in the third ODI in Chennai on Wednesday.
Courtesy of their victory, Australia clinched the three-match ODI series 2-1 as they bounced back in fine style after losing the Test series 2-1. This is India's first ODI series defeat at home since 2019. Incidentally, their previous series also came against Australia in March 2019, when the visitors claimed a 3-2 series win.
Australia recovered courtesy of their lower order batters to post 269 on a challenging wicket at the M A Chidambaram after they were struggling on 196/6 at one stage. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa then weaved his magic with the ball, as he took four wickets to bowl out India for 248 in 49.1 overs.
"It has been an enjoyable tour. We did not play our best cricket, good enough to get over the line. This wicket was entirely different, we left a few out there with the bat. The spinners bowled beautifully, really good performance. It was a real grind in the field. The way the tail stuck and got us to 269, got us to a nice total," Smith said after the match.
Australia also reclaimed the world number one ranking in one-day cricket, a big confidence booster for them ahead of the ODI World Cup in October-November.
"It's a great achievement ... Very proud of the lads and it's the first step towards our World Cup," said all-rounder Mitchell Marsh.
