Ravichandran Ashwin is all praise for Steve Smith's captaincy: 'Match made in heaven'

Ind vs Aus: On Wednesday, Australia defeated India in the 3rd and final ODI of the series to clinch the 3-match affair 2-1. While the loss left a sour taste in the mouth of Indian fans, who have been continuously expressing their disappointment on social media, the neutrals have hailed the Australian team and captain Steve Smith for showcasing resilience to claim the clutch encounter. Australia defeated India by 21 runs in the 3rd ODI.

Whether it was bringing back Adam Zampa at the crucial point in the game or setting a fielder between the long on and long off position to set up Hardik Pandya, Smith was able to successfully implement his plans at the Chepauk stadium and thereby is getting the recognition for the calls made during the game. India's ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is quite active on social media, was impressed with Steve Smith's leadership in the 3rd ODI. "It's a match made in heaven", Ashwin defined Smith and Captaincy as a "Match made in heaven".

Steve smith and captaincy is a match made in heaven👌#INDvAUS

— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) March 22, 2023

While Smith and Australia were all smiles, the men in blue saw their batting misery continue. Following a complete rout in the 2nd ODI, the third ODI again witnessed middle-order failure by team India. Here's what transpired in Chennai.

India vs Australia 3rd ODI: Match Summary

After winning the toss, Steve Smith decided to bat first. Australia got off to a good start as openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh laid a solid foundation at the top. The pair added 68 runs before Head held out playing an upper cut to Hardik Pandya. Head's wicket brought captain Smith on the crease, who got out without troubling the scoreboard. Then Marsh also fell and Australia suddenly were in a spot of bother. The returning David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne started the recovery but at the score of 125 Kuldeep Yadav removed Warner. The wickets continued to fall at regular intervals but Australia's lower order comprising of Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, and Ashton Agar, all chipped in to give India a target of 270.

Much like Australia, India also got to a good start, openers Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma fired at the top to take India past 50 quickly. India lost the first wicket in the form of Rohit Sharma at the score of 65. After a dozen more to the total, Gill also got out. At 77 for 2 Virat Kohli and KL Rahul got together. The two added 69 for the fourth wicket before KL Rahul got dismissed. After Rahul's wicket, India lost its way and were reeling at 185 for 6 when Suryakumar Yadav got out to a third successive golden duck. The partnership between Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya was threatening to take the game away from Australia but Zampa removed both of them. In the end, India bundled out at 248, losing by 21 runs. Adam Zampa became the player of the match for his incredible bowling spell of 4 for 48.