Against all odds, Australian team came back strongly in the five-match One-Day International series against India. After handing India two back-to-back defeats, the series is nicely poised at 2-2 with the series decider is scheduled at Delhi on Wednesday. Australia thrashed Indian bowlers in all corners of the park in Mohali and chased down the mammoth total of 359 with four wickets in hand. Peter Handscomb wrote this winning script with a sensational maiden ODI century in Mohali’s PCA Stadium.
He was the highest scorer in this record victory and laid the foundation with his stroke-filled 117-run innings. Though, it was Ashton Turner’s flamboyant 43-ball 84 run, which handed Australia their biggest chase in ODIs. But Handscomb’s century proved vital in visitors’ series-leveling win.
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Handscomb was going through a drought of runs but his form returned during India ODI series in January. Former Australian batsman Brad Hodge came in defense of Handscomb and regarded him as the best Australian batsman against spin bowling after Steve Smith, who is about to finish his one year ban.
“His technique was a big talking point in the Australian summer, only because it actually doesn’t look fashionable. We don’t like change, we’re pretty set in our ways as cricketers. Peter Handscomb goes about his work in a completely different manner,” Hodge told ESPNcricinfo.
“He was never out of form, he was just put up against a pretty good Indian attack in [Jasprit] Bumrah, [Mohammed] Shami and Ishant Sharma, so he had his troubles but I think he’s fought back.”
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Handscomb had a pretty ordinary show against India in the last Test series they played in December-January, scoring 105 runs in three matches, missing the Boxing Day game in Melbourne.
In pursuit of Australia’s best chase in ODIs for a victory, Handscomb added 192 runs with opener Usman Khawaja (91) for the third wicket after Australia lost two quick wickets for 12 runs. Khawaja missed out on his second consecutive hundred in the series but their massive partnership nullified the 193-run opening partnership that Rohit Sharma (95) and Shikhar Dhawan (143) had for India.
