India’s tour of Australia ended as per the expectation for the visitors on Friday with the win in the third and final ODI at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The Men in Blue thrashed the hosts by seven wickets to seal the series 2-1. The win ended India’s tour which began with a defeat in the first T20I but ever since, it has been a memorable one as the time wore on. The architects of India’s win in the series-decider were Yuzvendra Chahal and MS Dhoni.
While Chahal bamboozled the Aussies with the ball, Dhoni proved his mettle with the bat once again. Virat Kohli’s decision to bowl first was well respected by the bowlers as they bundled out the hosts for a meager total of 230. Chahal ran through Australia’s middle-order, picking up a record 6 wickets for 42 runs, the best bowling figures by a spinner in Australia in ODIs. The leg-spinner also surpassed the record held by current India coach Ravi Shastri to become the first spinner to take 6 wickets in an ODI Down Under.
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Dhoni along with Kedar Jadhav then starred with the bat, scoring half-centuries and sharing an unbeaten 121-run stand for the fourth wicket to guide India to a memorable win. Following the win, Chahal was named as the Man of the Match for his stunning spell while Dhoni was rewarded with the Man of the Series award for scoring 193 runs at an astonishing average of 193.
But amidst all the celebration, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar slammed Cricket Australia (CA) for handing over a paltry cheque of 500 dollars to Chahal and Dhoni. Citing the example of Wimbledon Grand Slam, Gavaskar opined that the players should have received some handsome rewards.
During the post-match show on ‘Sony Six’, Gavaskar said, “What is USD 500 and it’s a pity that the team has got only a trophy. They (organizers) earn so much money through broadcast rights. Why can’t they give good prize money to the players? After all, players are the sole reason for the sport getting huge money (from sponsors). Look at the prize money being given away at the Wimbledon (Championships). It’s phenomenal. The players are key in generating money, so they must be rewarded handsomely.”
The prize money that the cricketers were awarded will go towards charity and not to the players.
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Meanwhile, India ended up creating quite a few records with the latest win. The win ha also became Kohli the only Indian skipper to win Test and ODI trophies on the same tour in Australia. This is also the first time in history that India will leave Australia without losing a series. India had drawn the T20I series 1-1 before beating the Aussies in Tests 2-1.
Kohli & his men will now depart to New Zealand for a limited-overs tour comprising five ODIs and three T20Is.
