India chase 287 to win third ODI and series against Australia – live!

6th over: India 39-0 (Rohit 25, Rahul 8) Target 287. Hazlewood is on to replace Starc and does just what his captain asks of him after a couple of expensive overs, hitting his length form the get-go and giving up just one single to finish the set. A good result, too, that it denied Rohit the strike to start the next over. The hosts will want their champion taking as many deliveries as possible while the field is up.

5th over: India 38-0 (Rohit 25, Rahul 7) Target 287. Ooh, that stings. It’s hard to believe how, at Cummins’ pace, a genuine edge from Rohit falls well short of Carey. Salt in the wounds: after that slice of luck, he picks up the final ball of the over from middle stump, lifting it over midwicket for his second SIX! What a shot.

4th over: India 31-0 (Rohit 19, Rahul 6) Target 287. Rohit is away! Granted, he’s helped by Starc who twice gives the biffer loads of width to work with, the first of those poor balls slapped past point and the second lifted over third man for SIX! The mighty Chinnaswamy is jumping – definitely in my top few grounds in the world with those VFL Park-style lights. Starc bites back to finish with another delivery jagging back at Rohit, not to dissimilar the shout in his first over; a fraction shorter. But once again, a good decision by Umpire Gough.

3rd over: India 20-0 (Rohit 9, Rahul 5) Target 287. Cummins starts on that familiar length of his, banging away short of a length on the fourth stump line, but he falls away towards the end, spraying five wides down the legside then conceding a boundary through cover. To be fair, it’s a lovely shot on the up, stroked expertly by KL Rahul – today, of course, in his third batting position across this short series.

2nd over: India 10-0 (Rohit 9, Rahul 0) Target 287. Oooh, that’s a big shout for LBW! Starc is very keen but Carey less so when Finch consults him about a review. Michael Gough had the decision to make and went in Rohit’s favour. The replay shows that it was the correct decision – just a fraction too much swing back to the righthander. But a good early sign for the left-armer. Less so the half-volley he serves up to finish, well outside the off-stump, put away with ease past point.

1st over: India 5-0 (Rohit 5, Rahul 0) Target 287. A steady start, Cummins clipped by Rohit to begin for a couple and then a couple more. The second of those strokes moves the opener beyond 9000 ODI runs in his 217th innings – the third fastest to that mark. What a career. If you’re wondering, Kohli did it in 194 hits; ABdV 208.

The players are back on the field. But Shikhar is not there – his left arm is in a sling after that shoulder injury, the commentary confirms. Rohit to take the first ball, to be sent down by Cummins. KL Rahul is out there with the Indian superstar. PLAY!

50th over: Australia 286-9 (Agar 11, Hazlewood 1) Agar and Hazlewood do their best to swell the total but just five runs and a wicket come from the final over of the innings. Shami returns 4-63, relatively expensive but his wickets were mostly timely.

Shami has got it right in these concluding overs – full and straight – and if India weren’t looking good before he returned to the attack, they are now. Zampa gets himself in tangles, misses and is bowled off his pads.

49th over: Australia 281-8 (Agar 8, Zampa 1) These two batsmen can do no more than work Bumrah around the ground for singles. Just five runs come from the paceman’s last over, the penultimate of the innings, and it’s far fewer than Australia need right now. Bumrah returns 0-38 from his 10 overs. Take away those successive fours hit by Smith, and it’s 0-30 from 9.4 overs. But cricket doesn’t really work like that, right?

A brilliant yorker from Shami sneaks under Cummins’ bat and shatters the stumps. That ball would’ve accounted for batters far more accomplished that Cummins. Two wickets and three runs from the over. Well played, Shami.

48th over: Australia 276-8 (Agar 6, Zampa 0)

Smith tries again to go over mid-wicket but this time he doesn’t get his timing quite right and Iyer takes a very smart diving catch in the deep. A lovely 132-ball 131 from Smith, but Australia could’ve done with him remaining in the middle.

47th over: Australia 273-6 (Smith 131, Agar 3) Bumrah return to the attack with two overs of his allotment remaining. Shame. I could watch this bloke bowl all day. Evidently so could Smith, who waits on a shortish one and edges it through tghe vacant slip cordon for four. He follows it up with a boundary through the covers. After conceding 25 runs from his first eight overs, Bumrah has leaked eight in two balls. Looks like Australia will land somewhere near that 300 mark.

46th over: Australia 261-6 (Smith 121, Agar 3) Saini’s attempted yorker ends up being a low full-toss, inviting Smith to smack him backward of point for four. The shot of the day follows, a six that Smith picks up from outside off, flicks the wrists and sends over the deep mid-wicket fence. Incredible shot. How on earth did he do that? Well, he’s Steve Smith. Sixteen from the over. Better from Australia but might it be too little, too late?

India launch a review after Turner swings and apparently misses. They’re convinced he got bat on it and send the not-out call upstairs. Turner did indeed hit the ground with his bat, but technology, blessed technology, indicates he also bottom edged the ball en route to the keeper. On your way, son.

44th over: Australia 238-6 (Smith 101)

Smith sends a thick edge down to third-man to register his ninth ODI century and first in three long years. Coming from 117 balls, it’s been a steady knock and now Australia need him to step on the gas. More confused running between the wickets follows, with Smith setting off for a single but Turner knowing little about it. Despite both batsmen being almost at the same end at the same time, there’s enough time for survival.

43rd over: Australia 234-5 (Smith 99, Turner 2) Smith is stranded on 99 but also stranded at the non-striker’s end as Turner sees off five successive dot balls from Bumrah. A single off the last ball of the over keeps Turner on strike … and Smith stranded on 99. And stranded at the non-striker’s end. Aaaagh. The torment! Did I mention that Bumrah is bowling rather well?

Kuldeep returns for his final over and at gets a wicket that his toil, if not his excellence, has deserved. Carey goes for the big shot over cover but it has no hope of clearing the rope, presenting Iyer with a straightforward catch.

42nd over: Australia 233-5 (Smith 99, Turner 1)

41st over: Australia 228-4 (Smith 96, Carey 34) Carey plays all around a straightish one from Shami but the ball misses the inside edge en route to the keeper. No such issues later in the over as the left hander gives himself room and cuts backward of point for four.

40th over: Australia 223-4 (Smith 95, Carey 30) The miserly Bumrah returns in place of Kuldeep. And it’s more of the same from this man, whom India would love to clone. At least it is until his final delivery, short and wide of off-stump, which Carey edges down to third-man for four. Two runs from the first five balls, but six from the over.

39th over: Australia 217-4 (Smith 94, Carey 25) Saini strays down the leg-side, and you just don’t do that to Steve Smith. A boundary to fine-leg takes Smith past 4,000 ODI runs … and into the 90s.

38th over: Australia 210-4 (Smith 89, Carey 24) Sharp running from Carey turns Smith’s punch through the covers into two runs, keeping Smith on strike and paving the way for him to crunch Kuldeep through point for four. Carey ends the over with a slog sweep, getting very little of it at all, and living to fight another day as the ball lands safely.

37th over: Australia 200-4 (Smith 82, Carey 21) Saini on for Bumrah. His first ball back is full, wide of off-stump and is given the required treatment by Carey, who drives through extra cover for four. A short one follows, and it really is too short, inviting Carey to help it on his way to the third-man fence. An update on Shikhar Dhawan: he’s off to the hospital for an x-ray after that mishap in the field early in the game.

36th over: Australia 190-4 (Smith 81, Carey 12) Kuldeep returns for the expired Jadeja. A wrong’un confuses Smith, underscoring how India have applied the shackles here. But Carey breaks them, or at least loosens them, with a sweep over mid-wicket for four.

35th over: Australia 183-4 (Smith 80, Carey 6) Another fine over from Bumrah, who again races through his six deliveries and again proves very hard to get away. An expert display of mixing line, length and pace and always keeping the batsman guessing. That’s six overs now from Bumrah, with an economy rate of 3.0. Nice work.

34th over: Australia 181-4 (Smith 79, Carey 5) Carey reverse sweeps for four before trying the same again, missing despite India’s suspicion that he might have edged it, and Jadeja’s breathless spell comes to an end. And 2-44 is a good return.

Just like London buses, we wait forever for a wicket and then two come at once. Starc, elevated to wield the willow, does what is asked of him but picks out a fielder in the deep. A double-wicket maiden for Jadeja. Not bad at all.

32nd over: Australia 173-4 (Smith 77)

A very timely breakthrough for India as Labuschagne tries to press the matter but picks out Kohli, who takes a ripper of a catch low down at extra cover. Australia’s 127-run stand for the third wicket comes to an end.

Australia continue their period of consolidation and compilation, trading in ones and twos, but Labuschagne decides to notch his maiden ODI fifty in style, working Shami through mid-wicket for four. The Australia star is going at slightly worse than a run-a-ball and looks in good nick.

31st over: Australia 173-2 (Smith 77, Labuschagne 54)

30th over: Australia 165-2 (Smith 75, Labuschagne 48) Smith works Jadeja around the ground for ones and twos, Kohli helping the cause by taking an unnecessary shy at the stumps – which finds its target – but runs away for an overthrow.

29th over: Australia 158-2 (Smith 69, Labuschagne 47) Shami back in the attack now. His opening contribution brought a wicket but was expensive also. These two batsmen, well set now, will like the ball coming onto the bat. Labuschagne goes for it, eyeing the fence over mid-wicket, but mistimes his shot and gains only a single. Three from the over. A good return from Shami.

28th over: Australia 155-2 (Smith 67, Labuschagne 46) Sorry, was getting all wistful about Kylie and Jason and pretty much missed this over. Well, Jadeja does rip through them. Even moreso when all it produces is four nurdled singles.

27th over: Australia 151-2 (Smith 65, Labuschagne 44) Ooooh, Smith is one lucky customer! Charging down the pitch to Kuldeep, his expansive swat misses by miles and India look on, aghast, as the ball deflects off his leg and just wide of off-stump. It all happened too fast for Rahul, who could get nowhere near the ball. If he gloved it, a stumping was his. Four leg-byes is the net result. Lucky, lucky, lucky, Smith should be so lucky.

26th over: Australia 144-2 (Smith 64, Labuschagne 42) Jadeja continues, much to the liking of our reader in the post below. Smith has removed the helmet and is donning a bright yellow cap. Reminds me of Sir Viv Richards, in the loosest of loose ways. Four from the over.

25th over: Australia 140-2 (Smith 62, Labuschagne 40) Labuschagne sweeps but what should have been one run becomes two thanks to a fumble in the deep. Halfway through now. Are Australia on for 300-plus? Methinks so.

Here’s Abhijato Sensarma, who has a few good words to say about Jadeja: “Jadeja is one of the best players in the world, yet till recently even his own team neglected him. He’s always been a streetsmart bowler and an epic fielder. The recent increase in productivity with the willow has re-established his worth as a premium all-rounder. This Indian ODI side always lacked quality batting in the lower order, but this changes with Jadeja’s inclusion – it gives the top three much needed breathing room to play with more freedom. He needs to be in the playing eleven for a long time, he offers too much to be left out!”

24th over: Australia 134-2 (Smith 60, Labuschagne 36) This outfield, I tells ya, is greased lightning. Smith’s deft late cut off Jadeja is delicately hit, no more, but timed so well that is careers away to the third-man fence. Tell me more, tell me more …