Maxwell returns with match-winning spell in third ODI

Marnus Labuschagne has provided selectors another compelling reason to elevate him to Australia's 15-player World Cup squad, holding the middle-order together to ensure the visitors snapped a five-game losing streak with a consolation 66-run win in the third ODI.

A career-best haul from the returning Glenn Maxwell (4-40) was also instrumental in snuffing out India's pursuit, proving just how valuable his bowling will be come next month's World Cup.

Maxwell grabbed the first three Indian wickets after skipper Rohit Sharma smacked six sixes in his 57-ball 81 to have the hosts' chase on track for the first half of their innings.

Australia's top three of Mitch Marsh (96), David Warner (56) and Steve Smith (74) all hit half-centuries in the oppressive Rajkot heat after Pat Cummins elected to bat first at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, but it was Labuschagne's 58-ball 72 that was crucial in lifting the tourists to a record total at the venue.

The 29-year-old's knock could hardly have come at a better time with Australian selectors needing to settle on their final 15-player World Cup squad by Thursday's ICC deadline.

The Queenslander was not included in the preliminary squad announced last month but has since hit scores of 80no and 124 from his previous seven innings to go with his 72 in Rajkot and is undoubtedly the next batter in should Australia opt not to carry Travis Head through the first half of the 50-over tournament until he recovers from a fractured hand.

After Marsh and Smith added 137 for the second wicket to have Australia sitting pretty at 2-215 from 28 overs, they again lost wickets with regularity through the middle overs to slip to 6-299 with more than seven remaining.

But Labuschagne rallied, expertly picking the gaps to find his nine boundaries while facing only 16 dot balls to strike at more than 124 runs per 100 balls during his innings.

The right-hander has demonstrated significant improvement in his scoring rate since coming back into the side when Smith was ruled out of the South African series, lifting his strike rate from 74.9 in the past two years to 97.7 in his past eight matches.

His dot ball percentage of 40.6 this series is also the lowest the Australian batter to face more than 50 balls.

Cummins (19no) hung around to support Labuschagne in a 46-run stand for the seventh wicket as the pair lifted Australia's total to 7-352, surpassing India's venue record of 6-340 from the last time the two sides played at the ground in January 2020.

Despite the 'big three' of Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood reuniting for the first time in an ODI since November 2020, Australia's new ball issues remained as Rohit – who was rested from the first two ODIs – pummelled five sixes in the first seven overs.

Australia didn't take a wicket in the Powerplay for the fifth time in their past eight matches in South Africa and India with Maxwell, in his first game back from leg soreness and the birth of his first child, claiming the opening wicket of India's chase in the 11th over with the score on 74.

Australia's own batting Powerplay was the best for either side in the series with Warner and Marsh seizing on anything short and over pitched to take the score to 1-90 after 10 overs.

The left-hander raced to 56 off 33 balls – his third half-century of the three-game series – but he failed to reach 60 for the third consecutive innings.

He was caught behind trying to scoop-pull Prasidh Krishna over the wicketkeeper's head like Suryakumar Yadav deployed so successfully against the Australians in the second ODI, but Warner however only succeeded in feathering an edge through to KL Rahul.

Marsh and Smith continued striking above 100 but both were visibly affected by the stifling heat before their demise, with drinks and towels run out almost every over and both batters hunched over during breaks in play.

The West Australian smashed Jasprit Bumrah (3-81) for 6, 4, 4, 4 to take 19 runs from the 23rd over but on 96 he picked out extra cover to fall agonisingly short of his second ODI ton.

"Threw another one away didn't I," Marsh told the host broadcaster during the innings break.

"Probably the hottest conditions I have ever faced as a batter. The wicket was beautiful but as you could see I was pretty cooked towards the end there."

Maxwell missed out with the bat in his return match but picked up the key wickets of Rohit, Virat Kohli (56) and Shreyas Iyer (48), along with opener Washington Sundar (18) who stood in for the rested Shubman Gill.

Australia's pace trio responded after Maxwell's burst with Hazlewood (2-42), Cummins (1-59) and Starc (1-53) each chipping in to see the hosts bowled out for 286 in the final over.

India take the series 2-1 after victories in Mohali and Indore. The two sides will now go their separate ways for a week for two warm-up matches before a blockbuster meeting in Chennai on October 8 to open their World Cup campaigns.

2023 Qantas Tour of India

September 22: India win by five wickets

September 24: India won by 99 runs (DLS method)

September 27: Australia won by 66 runs

Australia ODI squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

India squad for first two ODIs: KL Rahul (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan , Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

India squad for the third ODI: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj