Leader without armband! Rohit Sharma guides Harshit Rana to wicket - watch video

In the third and final ODI at Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, Matt Renshaw scored a solid fifty but Australia were restricted to 236 runs by India's bowling attack led by Harshit Rana's four-wicket haul. The Australian team, choosing to bat first, struggled to build partnerships against India's disciplined bowling and fielding performance.

LIVE: India vs Australia 3rd ODI

Harshit Rana delivered an impressive spell, claiming 4/39 with good pace and bounce on the fresh SCG pitch.




One of those wickets was that of Mitchell Owen for 1 with Australia going six down. After being pulled to the side by Rohit Sharma for a quick chat, the India seamer hit a hard length in the 38th over and Owen backed away from it, played it away from the body and helped the ball along to the first slip where Rohit did the rest.

WATCH: Rohit Sharma's chat with Harshit Rana before wicket

The incident highlighted the impact that Rohit, not the ODI captain anymore, makes to the side. The 38-year-old had the captaincy armband taken from him ahead of the series with Shubman Gill appointed the new skipper.

Gill's first captaincy stint in the 50-over format hasn't taken off to the best of starts with India losing the first two matches and the series as a result. The Men in Blue have the chance at salvaging some pride now in Sydney or suffer their first-ever whitewash against Australia.

The Australian innings started with a 61-run opening partnership between Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head, followed by a 54-run stand between Renshaw and Alex Carey.

Marsh, who scored 41 runs, displayed his power-hitting abilities, including a pulled six off Prasidh Krishna. However, Head's innings ended when he guided Mohammad Siraj's delivery to Prasidh at backward point.

India's fielding excellence was highlighted by two remarkable catches. Virat Kohli took a brilliant reflex catch at backward point to dismiss Matthew Short off Washington Sundar's bowling.

Shreyas Iyer topped that with a spectacular diving catch running from point to dismiss Carey, who tried to loft Rana but got a leading edge.

Axar Patel contributed by removing Marsh, bowling him with a delivery that came in with the angle.

Renshaw showed his adaptation to white-ball cricket, focusing on rotating the strike during the middle overs. He reached his fifty off 48 balls with just one boundary, demonstrating his improved limited-overs skills nearly a decade after his Test debut.

Washington Sundar ended Renshaw's innings at 56 runs, trapping him leg before wicket with a quicker delivery when the batsman attempted to shimmy down the track.

Mitchell Owen and Mitchell Starc's quick dismissals reduced Australia to 201 for seven.

The Australian lower order provided some resistance with brief cameos to push the total to 236, though it remained below par for the conditions.

The Indians maintained pressure throughout the innings, particularly during the middle overs when their spinners effectively controlled the run rate.

India's complete bowling performance, combined with sharp fielding, prevented Australia from building momentum despite getting reasonable starts.

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