Sydney, Oct 25 (NationPress) Harshit Rana, the seam-bowling all-rounder, spearheaded a disciplined bowling display by taking 4-39 as India dismissed Australia for just 236 runs in 46.4 overs during the third ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Though all the top six Australian batters got starts, it was Matt Renshaw who topped the scores with 56 runs off 58 balls, a reflection of Australia's overall innings performance. The Indian camp will take great joy in Rana's performance, especially as he came through under pressure, slicing through the Australian middle and lower order for a remarkable four-wicket haul.

In addition to Rana's feat, every Indian bowler played a part in this collective effort, as Australia lost their last six wickets for a mere 53 runs. Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar were pivotal in maintaining pressure and consistently taking wickets during overs 11-40, stalling Australia's momentum.

Choosing to bat first, Australia's opening duo of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head took a cautious approach. Head eventually broke free with a flick through the on-side off the final delivery of the third over bowled by Mohammed Siraj.

Despite the early movement available for fast bowlers with the new ball, the SCG pitch posed no significant threats. After Siraj and Rana were hit for boundaries, Prasidh Krishna, returning to ODIs after two years, faced Marsh, who struck a towering six on his first ball before following up with another boundary.

Head kept finding gaps and reached the 3,000-run milestone in ODIs with a single, propelling Australia to 44/0 by the end of the seventh over. India finally broke through in the 10th over when Head, attempting a cut, found Krishna at point off Siraj, departing for 31 as Australia concluded the powerplay at 63/1.

A moment of confusion nearly cost Australia another wicket when miscommunication between Marsh and Matt Short almost led to a run-out. After a misfield at short cover, Short called for a single, but hesitated mid-pitch, leading to a direct hit from Shubman Gill, which narrowly missed the stumps.

Short’s nervous start continued when he attempted a wild slog across the line against Kuldeep, who believed there was a faint edge before KL Rahul caught the ball. However, UltraEdge showed no contact, and the on-field decision stood, costing India their review.

After hitting Kuldeep for two boundaries, Marsh was bowled for 41 after missing a straight delivery from Axar, which knocked his off-stump. Seven overs later, Short attempted a sweep off Sundar but ended up seeing Virat Kohli take a sharp catch at square leg to dismiss him for 30.

Alex Carey survived a tough chance on eight when Krishna couldn't hold onto a low catch at long-on off Kuldeep. Carey, who struggled against India's spin trio, was eventually out when Shreyas Iyer performed a remarkable tumbling catch after running back from backward point.

However, Iyer injured his left side while making the catch and left the field with medical assistance. Throughout this, Renshaw appeared confident, running hard to secure his first ODI fifty with minimal risk while maintaining a healthy strike rate.

His composed style contrasted sharply with other Australian batters, but India’s spinners continued to shine as he missed a flick while dancing down the pitch, getting trapped lbw by Sundar, costing Australia their second review.

Australia’s innings fell apart as Mitch Owen edged to first slip off Rana, while Kuldeep bowled Mitchell Starc with a quicker delivery. Nathan Ellis hit three quick boundaries before hitting straight to mid-wicket off Prasidh. Rana concluded the innings by taking the last two wickets in three balls – having Cooper Connolly holing out to long off and Josh Hazlewood bowled – finishing with a fine four-for.

Brief Scores: Australia 236 in 43.4 overs (Matthew Renshaw 56, Mitchell Marsh 41; Harshit Rana 4-39, Washington Sundar 2-44) against India.