India's pacers Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan starred as they bowled out South Africa for just 116 runs in the first ODI match. Arshdeep took a maiden five-wicket haul, while Avesh picked up four wickets, as the Proteas struggled against the Indian bowling attack. In response, debutant B Sai Sudharshan scored an unbeaten 55 runs to guide India to an easy eight-wicket victory.
Jos Buttler expresses his desire to continue as England's captain in both ODI and T20I cricket, starting with their tour to the Caribbean in December. Despite his own struggles with the bat, Buttler remains committed to leading the team and hopes to improve his own performance. England is likely to make changes to their ODI side for the Caribbean tour, while the T20I squad will be stronger as they prepare to defend their title in the T20 World Cup next year.
Glenn Maxwell becomes Australia's first men's ODI double-centurion, scoring an unbeaten 201* against Afghanistan. Maxwell's innings is the highest individual score for Australia in men's ODIs, and he is the first player to score a double-century during an ODI chase. He also holds the record for the highest ODI score by a non-opener batting at No. 3 or lower. Maxwell's partnership with Pat Cummins (202 runs) is the highest for the seventh wicket or lower in men's ODIs. Australia's win, after being 136 for 7, is considered a miraculous comeback.
India comfortably defeated Australia by five wickets in the first ODI, with Mohammed Shami taking a career-best five-wicket haul. Suryakumar Yadav's return to form was a highlight as he scored his highest ODI score of 50, helping India chase down the target of 277 after a middle-overs collapse. KL Rahul, the stand-in captain, remained unbeaten on 58 and contributed significantly. Openers Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad provided a solid start, with Gill scoring a quick fifty.
India's head coach Rahul Dravid has confirmed that Suryakumar Yadav is part of India's World Cup squad, despite his slow start in ODIs. Dravid believes in Yadav's game-changing abilities and expects him to make a significant impact batting at No. 6. Senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be rested for the first two ODIs against Australia to ensure they are mentally and physically prepared for the World Cup. R Ashwin has been recalled and will have an opportunity to audition for a spin bowler's role in the team.
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif criticized Virat Kohli's mode of dismissal in the third ODI against Australia, saying that it lacked planning. Kohli played a loose shot off Ashton Agar's delivery and perished on 54. Australian spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar turned the match to hand India their first one-day international series defeat at home since 2019. The 2-1 win in the series was also important practice on South Asian pitches for Australia before the ODI World Cup in India later this year.
Australia defeated India by 21 runs in the third ODI in Chennai, taking the series 2-1 and snatching the No. 1 ODI ranking from India. Despite a quick start from India, Australia's bowlers, led by Adam Zampa's 4-45, took six wickets between them to drag India back from 146 for 2. Australia's defence was all the more remarkable because Cameron Green's illness left them with Marcus Stoinis as the fifth bowler. Both teams had similar innings, with a quick start followed by the pitch playing tricks and some aggressive options taken by batters resulting in soft-looking dismissals.
