Highlights: Virat Kohli played a scintillating innings (123 runs off 95 balls) to keep India in the hunt as they chased an imposing Australian total of 313 runs but in the end he couldn’t guide the hosts home.

India fell short by 32 runs as Australia kept the series alive at 2-1.

There was a lack of support at the other end for Kohli as the second highest score in India’s chase was Vijay Shankar’s 32 (30). Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson and Adam Zampa took three wickets each while Nathan Lyon grabbed the other wicket to bowl the hosts out for 281 runs.

Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav restricted Australia for 313/5 after Usman Khawaja scored a century and Aaron Finch scored 93. This after India won the toss and skipper Virat Kohli opted to bowl first. The hosts named the same playing XI as the last ODI while Australia named one change in Jhye Richardson who came in place of Nathan Coulter-Nile. ((Full scorecard))

Follow India-Australia live updates below -

21:35 hrs IST Usman Khawaja is Man of the Match He scored his maiden ODI hundred 104 (off 113 balls) to give Australia a solid platform at the top of the order with a 193-run partnership with captain Aaron Finch 93 (off 99 balls). “It was nice to get that win. The bowlers bowled beautifully. We weren’t quite sure what a good score is, Finchy started well and the lower-order did a good job take us over 300. My highest score was 98, so it was nice to get those extra two runs today”, says Khawaja.





21:31 hrs IST Aaron Finch has his say “It was a pretty good performance. To get 300 on that wicket was very good. It was nice and especially in these conditions. That partnership allowed Maxi to come in and play his game. I have been working really hard and have always had the faith I would get runs. “Usman played a fantastic knock, Jhye was also impressive with the ball.”





21:28 hrs IST Captain Kohli speaks “We were specially the way we pulled things back in the first innings. With the way Australia were going, we thought we would have been chasing 350+. I was told dew would come in in the evening, but that didn’t happen and I got that wrong. The wicket wasn’t improving at all and wasn’t getting easy for batting. They kept pitching the ball in the good areas, then I got out and Vijay got out and that’s about it. We are a team that has taken a lot of pride in our cricket. We don’t want to see anymore collapses. “In terms of hitting the ball well, it was one of my finest hundreds. I was feeling well since ball one. I was really disappointed with the way I got out. Yeah we will have a few changes in the next couple of games. “A little hiccup in the middle, but we will regroup and come back strongly.”





21:24 hrs IST Zampa’s take on the match “We bowled well collectively. The quicks upfront were amazing, Virat is a serious player, it was good to take his wicket when we did. I don’t think he’s my bunny, he’s one of the hardest players to bowl to. I was under a bit of pressure, if he had hit a couple of more boundaries, the momentum would have shifted towards them. “The message from the management and the coach was to take wickets, the mindset was the same. The wickets here in India are pretty good and the outfield fast, that has a say in your bowling.”





21:12 hrs IST Australia win by 32 runs Number 9 Kuldeep Yadav skied a simple catch to Aaron Finch to give Australia a 32-run win. Australia’s victory keep the series alive at 2-1.





21:08 hrs IST India 9 down Mohammed slammed two fours for his 8 (4), before getting out. Australia look to wrap it up.





21:06 hrs IST Jadeja out The all-rounder tried to clear the ropes off a Richardson delivery but ending up holing out at mid-on.





21:03 hrs IST Jadeja goes big! He slammed Maxwell over long on for a six of the third ball of his over as India collect 10 off the over. They need another 42 runs off the last three overs. Will Jadeja guide them over the line?





20:53 hrs IST Richardson keeps it tight Just two came off it as India’s required run rate climbs above 10 runs an over. Jadeja will need to play out of his skin here.





20:49 hrs IST Vijay Shankar holes out He heaved Nathan Lyon straight into the hands of Jhye Richardson, who was strategically positioned for the shot. India in deep trouble. They need 63 runs of 42 balls with 3 wickets in hand.





20:34 hrs IST Stat Attack Zampa removes Kohli 3rd time he has dismissed Kohli Most batsman dismissed by Zampa in ODIs 3- Virat Kohli 2- MS Dhoni, JP Duminy ,K Jadhav, RR Rossouw, Guptill and H Pandya





20:25 hrs IST Kohli falls after stunning innings Virat Kohli took Zampa apart by hitting him back to back fours but in trying to hit the third, he is castled by a full delivery. India have now lost their sixth wicket of the day and are in deep trouble now. Ravindra Jadeja has now joined Vijay Shankar in the middle.





20:21 hrs IST Stat attack 7/7: Virat Kohli has converted each of his last 7 ODI fifties to centuries at home: - 21 vs NZ, Mumbai, 2017 113 vs NZ, Kanpur, 2017 140 vs WIN, Guwahati, 2018 157* vs WIN, Vizag, 2018 107 vs WIN, Pune, 2018 113 vs AUS, Nagpur,2019 100* vs AUS, Ranchi,2019





20:16 hrs IST Kohli on fire! After completing his century, Kohli has now slammed a four and six in one over from Zampa. With that, India have crossed the 200-run mark in the chase as well. The stadium in buzzing now after Kohli reached yet another milestone in ODIs.





20:11 hrs IST Century for Kohli, again! Virat Kohli continues his good run of form and completes his 41st ODI ton. This is his second century on the trot in the series. He is leading India’s charge in the chase and till the time he is out there, India are in with a chance in the match.





20:04 hrs IST Australia tighten the screws Since the wicket of Jadhav, India have been mostly relying on singles and doubles as Shankar will need time to get set in the middle. India need 128 runs to win the match from here with 16 overs remaining. As for Kohli, he is 2 runs away from 41st ODI ton.





19:58 hrs IST Zampa breaks the partnership Kedar Jadhav went for the sweep shot but missed the line of the delivery and is trapped plumb LBW. With that, India have lost their fifth wicket of the day and are in a spot of bother. The 92-run partnership between Kohli and Jadhav comes to an end.





19:52 hrs IST Shot of the day from Kohli! Virat Kohli scores couple of boundaries off Jhye Richardson’s over. The first one he flicked past the keeper for a boundary but the second one was a thing of art. He came walking down the ground and flat batted the ball for a boundary throught the covers, giving enough time for shutterbugs to click a picture in the follow-through.





19:46 hrs IST Good over for India Kedar Jadhav is giving good support to Kohli from the other end and hold the fort for the India skipper to take the attack to visitors. Seven runs come from that over from Lyon. Jhye Richardosn is now being introduced into the attack for the second time today as Australia look to break this partnership.





19:40 hrs IST Maxwell off to a bad start Maxwell concedes two boundary from his first over and gives away 11 runs in total. There was a huge appeal for LBW against Kohli but the umpire said not out. Maxwell pleaded to Finch for DRS but the captain shut it down saying the ball was going over. Replays showed that it was indeed going over.





19:34 hrs IST Kohli dealing in boundaries After getting dispatched for runs in the previous over, Stoinis is now being hit for runs once again. This times, Kohli hits three boundaries to make it 14 from his over. Kohli has now hit 10 boundaries in the over and his strike rate has now reached 120. 50-run partnership is also up between Kohli and Jadhav.





19:27 hrs IST Four and four Virat Kohli is now taking the attack to Marcus Stoinis as he hits him for back to back boundaries. Kohli has now hit seven boundaries in his 55-ball innings thus far. Till the time he is out there, India will be confident of their chances.





19:21 hrs IST Kohli keeping India’s hopes alive Virat Kohli takes a single and with that he completes a well-made half-century in trying conditions. Kohli took 52 balls to go past the 50-run mark and this is his 50th ODI half-century.





19:16 hrs IST Stat attack Kohli became the 12th ODI skipper to reach this landmark and also the fourth India skipper after MS Dhoni (6641), Mohammad Azharuddin (5239) & Sourav Ganguly (5104) to score 4000 runs as captain in this format. Click to read the full story here





19:11 hrs IST Dhoni falls! That was the wicket that the visitors were hoping for as Adam Zampa gets rid of MS Dhoni. The spinner tosses the ball up and it takes an inside edge off Dhoni’s bat and rattles into the stumps. India have now lost their fourth wicket as Dhoni falls for 26.





19:06 hrs IST Partnership Virat Kohli takes a single and with that the 50-run stand comes up between him and Dhoni. On the next delivery, Dhoni comes down the track and hits the ball over the mid wicket boundary for his first six of the innings. 14th fifty runs stand between Kohli and Dhoni in ODIs for any wicket.





19:00 hrs IST Bowling change Aaron Finch has introduced Adam Zampa in the attack as he looks to break this partnership between Kohli and Dhoni. Till the time the duo are out there, Australia can’t think of a win just yet.





18:54 hrs IST Expensive over from Stoinis Kohli and Dhoni score 9 runs from Stoinis’ over as India are moving along nicely at the moment. Kohli is almost scoring at run a ball while Dhoni is holding the fort from the other end. India need more of such overs to put pressure on the visitors.





18:49 hrs IST India cross 50 Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni are dealing in singles and doubles at the moment and with the help of their cautious cricket, India have crossed the 50-run mark. With every passing over, things are becoming increasingly difficult for the hosts.





18:43 hrs IST Kohli keeps the scoreboard ticking Nathan Lyon bowls onto the pads of Kohli and the right hander flicks the ball past the keeper for his third boundary of the innings. Kohli and Dhoni has put together 23 runs so far off 40 deliveries and the duo will look to bat as many overs as possible to bail India out of trouble.





18:39 hrs IST Match Recap Usman Khawaja smashed his maiden one-day international century to guide Australia to 313-5. The visitors rode a 193-run opening stand between Khawaja, who hit 104, and skipper Aaron Finch, who made 93, to put up a challenging total after being put into bat first in Ranchi. The right-left batting combination of Finch and Khawaja attacked the Indian bowlers with a string of boundaries as Australia reached 100 in the 17th over.





18:31 hrs IST Consecutive boundaries for Dhoni Short pitched stuff from Jhye Richardson and MS Dhoni punished him with two back-to-back boundaries. First, he guided the ball through covers and then followed it up with a punch through square leg. IND 40/3





18:25 hrs IST Dhoni, Kohli key MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli are out in the middle and this will be the most crucial partnership for the hosts if they want to chase down this target. This is a ground where no team has ever chased down a target in excess of 300 and the onus will be on these two batsmen to steady the innings after three early wickets. IND 31/3





18:17 hrs IST Dhoni, Dhoni, Dhoni! As Rayudu was making his way out of the pitch, the whole stadium was cheering. It was for Dhoni making his way out in the middle. Indian cricket’s two greatest modern superstars are out in the middle and the hopes of a series win today lies with them.





18:11 hrs IST Rayudu is the next to fall Australia are firmly on top at the moment as Pat Cummins got rid of Ambati Rayudu for 2. Rayudu is comprehensively castled by Cummins. India are in a spot of bother now. Rayudu has once again failed to grab the opportunity at number four and this is his third failure on the trot.





18:05 hrs IST Rohit follows suit! India have made the worst start possible as Rohit Sharma departs after Shikhar Dhawan. Pat Cummins wraps him on the pads and the umpire said not out. Australia opted to use the DRS and replays showed that the ball had indeed hit the pad and then the bat. India have lost two crucial wickets inside first five overs.





18:00 hrs IST Dhawan departs! Shikhar Dhawan cuts a Jhye Richardson delivery towards point where Glenn Maxwell takes a stunning diving catch. With that, Indian opener’s poor form continues in the series. Virat Kohli now comes out to bat with Rohit Sharma.





17:55 hrs IST Four and six Rohit Sharma flexes his muscles and hits a four and six off Pat Cummins’ second over. First he hit the ball over the bowler’s head for a boundary and then, he hit a huge six over straight into the sight screen.





17:50 hrs IST Watchful Start Pat Cummins is on the money in the first over, conceding only a single. Both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have not been among the runs of late and need to ease themselves into the innings before they start taking on the Australian attack.





17:44 hrs IST Indian chase about to begin Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan have made their way out in the middle as Indian chase is about to get underway in Ranchi. Pat Cummins has the new ball in his hands and he will bowl the first over of the innings.





17:30 hrs IST Highest score in Ranchi Incidentally, this is the first 300+ score in Ranchi. Australia have bettered their previous record at this venue as earlier, they had scored 295/8 in 2013. This means that India will have to come up with their own record score on this ground to win the series today.





17:16 hrs IST Competitive score for India Chasing 314 on this track won’t be that easy but India have the firepower in their rank to overhaul it. The Indian top-order will once again play a crucial role if India are to chase this big target. The likes of Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli will need to come up with the goods for the hosts. Innings Break!



Australia post a total of 313/5 in 50 overs.



Scorecard - https://t.co/DQCJoMdrym #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/HZNjeAkXKe — BCCI (@BCCI) March 8, 2019





17:06 hrs IST Australia finish at 313/5 Carey and Stoinis hit one boundary each in the last over from Bumrah as Australia finish at 313/5. The visitors were expected to cross 350 at one point but Kuldeep Yadav pulled things back well and ended with a three-wicket haul. India now need 314 to win the match and jump to number 1 in ICC ODI rankings.





17:01 hrs IST 300 up for Australia Stoinis flicks the last ball for Shami’s over for a boundary towards deep square leg. With that, Australia have also crossed the 300-run mark in the penultimate over of the innings. Final over to be bowled by Jasprit Bumrah now.





16:56 hrs IST Boundary ruins Bumrah’s over Marcus Stoinis opens the face of his bat and guides the ball for a boundary after Bumrah tried to bowl a wide yorker. Seven runs come from the 48th over as Stonis and Carey are adding crucial runs to the Aussie total.





16:50 hrs IST Shami leaking runs Alex Carey adds crucial runs to the Aussie total as he hits back to back boundaries off Shami in the 47th overs over. The first one was hit between two fielder on the off side and the second was hit down the ground. 11 runs come from the over from Shami.





16:46 hrs IST Excellent over from Bumrah When Bumrah started the 46th over with a fierce yorker, the visitors would have thought then itself that they won’t be able to score boundaries in the over. In the end, they managed to score just three runs from the over.





16:41 hrs IST Five overs left in the innings India have done well to pull the match back a bit but there are still five overs remaining in the innings. Stoinis and Carey both can hit the ball far and the onus will be on them to fire the visitors past the 300-run mark.





16:35 hrs IST Australia losing the plot The visitors have now lost their fifth wicket of the day as Kuldeep Yadav traps Peter Handscomb LBW for a duck. Australia have now lost three wickets in as many overs. This is Kuldeep’s third wicket of the day. From 238/1, Australia are now struggling at 263/5.





16:31 hrs IST Another wicket for India Shaun Marsh tried to hit Kuldeep Yadav over the long-on ropes but he is caught out in the deep by Vijay Shankar. Australia are losing the plot here right at the end as India are pulling things back spectacularly.





16:25 hrs IST Jadeja, Dhoni send back Maxwell Jadeja dove full length to his right at the covers to stop the ball hit by Marsh off Kuldeep. He then quickly send the ball towards Dhoni who deflected the ball at the stumps. Maxwell was way out of the crease when this happened and he has to depart for 47. Australia have lost their third wicket now.





16:18 hrs IST India pulling things back a bit The hosts have done well to put things back in the last few overs. There was a point when it seemed that Australia will cross the 350 mark very easily but wiht every falling wickets, things are looking increasingly difficult for the visitors. In the last four overs, 17 runs have been scored.





16:13 hrs IST Second wicket for India Usman Khawaja’s (104) great innings finally comes to an end as he gives away an easy catch to Bumrah at mid wicket off the bowling of Shami. Australia have lost their second wicket of the day as India look to make a strong comeback in the final overs.





16:08 hrs IST Stat attack Khawaja’s century is only the third 100+ score at this venue. Angelo Mathews as the first to score a century in 2014 and Virat Kohli also scored a ton in the same year.





16:04 hrs IST Century for Khawaja Usman Khawaja takes a single and with that he completes his maiden ODI ton off 107 deliveries. It has been an innings of high quality and it includes 11 centuries and one massive six. 13 more overs for Australia to score as many runs as possible.





16:00 hrs IST Maxwell on the attack Glenn Maxwell knows only one way to play and that is how he is playing today as he is ripping apart Jadeja. He started off with a six and then hit couple of boundaries on the trot off his first three deliveries. Jadeja massively under the pump now.





15:56 hrs IST Jadeja keeps things tight After the drinks break, Jadeja bowls a good over and concedes just four runs from his over. However, it is not just stopping runs as India need wicket to keep the Australian score down as there is still a lot of batting for the visitors to come and 15 overs left.





15:52 hrs IST Maxwell gets into the act Kuldeep tosses the ball up and Maxwell hits that for a huge six down the ground. The right-hander issues an early warning for the hosts that this is how he is going to bat in this innings. India need to pick wickets in order to keep a check on Australia’s score.





15:47 hrs IST Stat attack This is the third time in ODIs that Finch has been dismissed in 90s. Incidentally, all of them has come against India. 96,Melbourne 2015 94,Bengaluru 2017 93,Ranchi ,2019





15:43 hrs IST First breakthrough for India Kuldeep Yadav has finally managed to break this partnership between Khawaja and Finch as he dismisses the latter for 93. Finch failed to read the line of a delivery and it crashed into his pads. Finch opted to use the DRS as well but replays showed that the ball was hitting the middle stump.





15:37 hrs IST Bumrah bowls a good over Jasprit Bumrah bowled a good over and gave away just 5 runs from his over. Both Australian openers are now moving towards their respective centuries and expect them to go for the kill from there on.





15:33 hrs IST Kuldeep cant' contain the flow of runs Aaron Finch has moved into the 90s after hitting a thumping boundary off Kuldeep. Finch comes down the ground and hits the ball on the up for a boundary towards long-on.





15:27 hrs IST Decent over from Jadeja Finally a low-scoring over for India as Jadeja concedes just three runs from his sixth over. India need to more of such overs as Australia are scoring at a rapid pace. But more importantly, the hosts need wickets as soon as possible.





15:22 hrs IST First six for Khawaja Kuldeep bowled a bit full and Khawaja got down early and hit the ball over mid wicket ropes for a huge six. This is Khawaja’s first six of the innings and fourth of the Aussie innings. Then, Finch sweeps the ball for a boundary on the last delivery as the visitors rake in 12 runs off the over.





15:16 hrs IST Four and four Khawaja tore apart Shankar’s bowling in that particular over where he score two boundaries to power Australia past the 150-run mark. Had it not been for Rayudu’s good effort at long off, there would have been three fours in the over. India are on the backfoot at the moment as nothing is working for them.





15:12 hrs IST Boundary ruins the over Kuldeep Yadav had bowled five deliveries uptill the last ball but Khawaja ruined the good over by hitting the spinner for a boundary towards mid-wicket. Kohli and Dhoni are now having a discussion to devise India’s plan to change the flow of runs now.





15:08 hrs IST Misfield and boundary Shami bowled a bit wide and Finch hit the ball through the covers for his eight boundary of the innings. It was routine stop for Shankar but he let the ball go in between his hands. India need a wicket here to change the course of the match.





15:04 hrs IST Stat attack This is Usman Khawaja’s 7th half-century in ODIs, third against India and second in the series. First time he is scoring multiple fifty in a bilateral series in ODIs.





14:58 hrs IST Aus on course of a huge score Khawaja and Finch are playing good cricket at the moment as they are dealing in singles and doubles with an occasional boundary. The visitors are primed for a huge score as there is still a lot of batting left.





14:51 hrs IST Khawaja scores fifty Khawaja flicks Shami towards mid-wicket and gets to another half-century in the series. Khawaja will have to ensure that he converts this one since he has been guilty of not converting starts in his recent innings. Australia: 124/0 in 20 overs.





14:46 hrs IST Shami is back Mohammed Shami is up and running straight away on the field. He seems to be fit and is running in hard to bowl his first over after the shin injury break.





14:41 hrs IST Finch scores 19th fifty Aaron Finch finally goes past the fifty-run mark. He has gone through a tough couple of months, but he has struck form at the right time with the World Cup round the corner. This is his first fifty in 10 innings.





14:35 hrs IST Shami leaves the field, Chahal comes in India are one bowler short at the moment with Shami leaving the field to get his shin treated. Yuzvendra Chahal replaces him on the field.





14:26 hrs IST Finch goes for a big one Aaron Finch shows his intentions to Kedar Jadhav. As Jadhav delivers his first ball, Finch hits him for a big six over mid-wicket. Australia move to 81/1.





14:19 hrs IST Shankar starts well Vijay Shankar was greeted by a stunning shot from Usman Khawaja, who hit the ball in between the fielders at cover and point. But after that, he made a good comeback and conceded just 1 run off next five deliveries.





14:15 hrs IST Another expensive over from Jadeja Ravindra Jadeja is being taken for runs by Khawaja and Finch as the duo score 9 runs off his third over. Finch also hit a boundary towards backward point to put pressure on the bowler. Jadeja has now conceded 23 runs on 3 overs.





14:11 hrs IST Kuldeep greeted with a four Second bowling change for India as Kuldeep replaced Bumrah into the attack and Finch hit him for a boundary on the first delivery to extend a special welcome for him. Then, he hit the second four of the over down the ground and with that, the visitors have gone past the 50-run mark without losing a single wicket.





14:06 hrs IST Another boundary off Bumrah Bumrah hasn’t found his line and length consistently so far as he is hit for another boundary by Khawaja. He bowled onto the pads of the southpaw, who flicked the ball for his sixth boundary. Good opening partnership building for the visitors.





14:02 hrs IST Dropped catch Usman Khawaja (17) went for the reverse sweep but hit the ball straight at Dhawan at point who let the ball go in between his hands. To make matter’s worse, the southpaw hit couple of boundaries in the over as well. Australia are flying away now.





13:58 hrs IST Edge but four Bumrah produces an edge off Khawaja’s bat but the ball goes past Dhoni for a boundary as there was no fielder present in the slip. Australia are scoring boundaries as regular intervals and India need to break this budding partnership. Skipper Kohli has now introduced spin as Ravindra Jadeja comes to bowl now.





13:54 hrs IST Shami takes a nasty blow Finch hit a fierce straight drive and the ball hit Shami in the shin. Kohli took hold of the ball and had a shy at the striker’s end but Finch had made his ground as the ball whizzed past the stumps. Shami is now down on the ground in pain as the Indian players converge to him. The Indian pacer is back on his feet and everything seems fine.





13:47 hrs IST Second boundary for Khawaja Bumrah bowls a bit short and Khawaja gets into position early and hits the ball towards square leg. Both Finch and Khawaja have hit couple of boundaries now and the visitors are building a good partnership at the top.





13:42 hrs IST India waste their review After being hit for couple of boundaries, Bumrah managed to hit the ball into the back pad of Finch but the umpire said not out. India opted to use the DRS but replays showed that the ball was going way over the stumps. The hosts have wasted their only review in the innings.





13:37 hrs IST Four and four Jasprit Bumrah is off to a bad start as he is hit for couple of boundaries by Aaron Finch. The first one was a classy shot through the covers but the second was hit in the air and the ball just went past the point fielder. Three boundaries already in the Indian innings.





13:33 hrs IST Australia are away in first over Shami bowlers a straight delivery to Khawaja and the southpaw flicked the ball for a boundary. Australia score six runs from the first over and are off to a good start in the match. Jasprit Bumrah will now bowl the second over for the hosts.





13:28 hrs IST Match about to begin The players are making their way out in the middle and Mohammed Shami has the new ball in his hand. Aaron Finch takes the strike for Australia while Usman Khawaja is at the non-striker’s end.





13:22 hrs IST Hosts chasing no.1 ranking If India win this blockbuster clash in Ranchi, they will take an unassailable lead in the series. Also, Virat Kohli and Co will jump to the top of the ICC ODI Rankings. While as for the Aussies, they need a win to stay alive in the series.





13:16 hrs IST Stat attack 2/3: 2 out of 3 previous completed ODIs at this venue have been won by the team chasing. 7/8: Australia have won the toss in 7 of the last 8 ODIs between these two sides. 9/11: India have won 9 of the last 11 ODIs between these two sides. 8/9: India have won 8 of the last 9 ODIs between the two sides in India. 249: The average first innings score at this venue in ODIs.





13:11 hrs IST Playing XIs India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Ambati Rayudu, Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah Australia: Aaron Finch(c), Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa





13:06 hrs IST Toss update India have won the toss and skipper Virat Kohli has opted to bowl first in Ranchi. Kohli also reveals during the toss that they are fielding the same playing XI as the last ODI. For Australia, Jhye Richardson comes in place of Nathan Coulter-Nile, who has gone home for the birth of his child.





13:01 hrs IST Special gesture from Team India The Indian players will be wearing special cap to pay tribute to the Indian armed forces. Dhoni — who holds the position of honorary Lieutenant in the Indian Army — has handed the camouflage caps to the players. #TeamIndia will be sporting camouflage caps today as mark of tribute to the loss of lives in Pulwama terror attack and the armed forces



And to encourage countrymen to donate to the National Defence Fund for taking care of the education of the dependents of the martyrs #JaiHind pic.twitter.com/fvFxHG20vi — BCCI (@BCCI) March 8, 2019





12:55 hrs IST Dhoni looks to better record at home Home favourite MS Dhoni will look to improve his numbers at this venue. The right-hander aggregates just 30 runs in three innings across formats while he averages 21 in ODIs with a poor strike rate of 48.83. However, these are the stats before the time Dhoni hit a purple patch in the 50-over format. In the current calendar year, Dhoni’s batting average exceeds 100 and he is only behind South Africa skipper Faf Du Plessis and Windies hard-hitter Chris Gayle in this particular list. Read the full story here





12:45 hrs IST Kohli on the cusp of another milestone If Kohli scores 27 runs in Ranchi, he will become the 12th cricketer ever to score 4000 runs as captain in ODIs. Also, he will become only the 4th Indian captain ever to reach this landmark after Dhoni (6641), Mohammad Azharuddin (5239) & Sourav Ganguly (5104). Click here tor read the full story





12:35 hrs IST India’s predicted XI Twin changes are expected in India’s playing XI in Ranchi. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is all set to replace Mohammed Shami as selectors had rested him for the first T20 ODIs but he is now back for the final three matches. KL Rahul might get a chance to play in place of Shikhar Dhawan. Click here to read our predicted XI





12:25 hrs IST MS Dhoni’s last match in Ranchi? There has been a sense of déjà vu every time Dhoni has stepped on to the field in the ongoing series. It reminded many of Tendulkar’s penultimate Test series against Australia in 2013, when the cheer from the stands would amplify with each passing match. Something similar has been happening at every ground in this series, with the fans possibly beginning to realise that the legend may not be around when India next play at home.



