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Rohit Sharma hit a century and Virat Kohli a bright 74 to drive India to a nine-wicket win in the third one day international Saturday, sending fans home happy after what are likely to be their final appearances in Australia in their country’s colours.Australia secured series honours with victories in the first two matches in Perth and Adelaide but India’s bowlers skittled the home side for 236 and the two former skippers got the tourists over the line with a partnership of 168 runs.“I’ve always loved coming here... and a nice way to finish getting that knock and getting that win as well,” said Rohit.“I don’t know if we’ll be coming back to Australia, but it was fun all these years that we played here. A lot of good memories, bad memories. But all in all, I’ll take the cricket that I played here.”Kohli, the second-highest run-scorer in ODIs behind Sachin Tendulkar, came out to join Sharma at the crease to a frenzied ovation from a big crowd that made the Sydney Cricket Ground feel more like it was located in New Delhi than New South Wales.Rohit had already combined with current skipper Shubman Gill (24) to cut 69 runs out of the chase but this was the “Ro-Ko” partnership the massed ranks of fans in blue shirts waving tricolour flags had come to see.The two thirtysomethings, who both now only play the 50-over game for India, duly delivered with assured shots and mature decision-making that frustrated then dispirited the Australian bowlers.Rohit smashed 13 fours and three sixes in his 33rd century in the format, reaching the milestone for the ninth time against Australia with a pushed drive down the ground for a single.Kohli, who had been dismissed for ducks in the previous two matches, brought up his 75th half-century to a huge roar with a single on one ball and Rohit locked in a 19th ODI century stand between the pair with another solitary run on the next delivery.“When we bat together ... even back in the day, we used to think, if we have a big partnership, the kind of strokes we can play, we can really take the game away from the opposition,” said Kohli.“The opposition also knew that if these guys are in for 20 overs together, any total is chaseable.”Rohit should have been caught on 108 after spooning a shot high into the night sky but was reprieved when Josh Hazlewood failed to get under it and finished 121 not out.Kohli got the winning runs by clipping a short ball off the face of his bat for a four down to third man.Earlier, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first at a venue where that decision had led to victory for the team concerned in the last nine ODIs.All of Australia’s top order got a start but only Matt Renshaw (56) managed to convert his innings into a half century, giving another boost to his hopes of reviving his long-stalled Test career in time for the Ashes.All-rounder Harshit Rana took 4-39 mopping up the Australian tail, curtailing the innings with the wickets of Cooper Connolly and Josh Hazlewood in the space of three balls.Kohli took the catch at long off to send back Connolly, having earlier whipped the crowd into another frenzy with a sharp hold at forward square to dismiss Matthew Short for 30 off the bowling of Washington Sundar.“We want to say thank you,” Kohli concluded.“We’ve loved coming to this country and playing in front of such big crowds. And we’ve played some of our best cricket here as well.”BRIEF SCORE:SIndia 237 for 1 (Rohit 121*, Kohli 74*) beat Australia 236 (Renshaw 56, Rana 4-39) by 9 wickets

Australian cricket fans may have their last chance to see India batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in action when the pair tour in the one day international (ODI) series starting in Perth Sunday.Boasting almost 600 ODIs between them, both 36-year-old Kohli and 38-year-old Rohit are active internationally only in the 50-overs format but their future beyond the three-match series is uncertain. Head coach Gautam Gambhir was tight-lipped when asked this week whether the duo might continue on under new captain Shubman Gill, who leads the ODI squad for the first time in Australia.Rohit and Kohli last played for India in the Champions Trophy final in March in which they beat New Zealand.If Australia is to be their last taste of international cricket, it will be in front of crowds packed with fans from the country’s booming Indian communities in Perth, Adelaide (October 23) and Sydney (October 25). A number of Test players in the Australia squad, including batter Travis Head and veteran pacemen, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, will use the series to loosen up for the Ashes.It will Starc’s first start in international cricket in the Australasian summer, having retired from T20s.Marnus Labuschagne, a late call-up to replace injured all-rounder Cameron Green, will hope to convert his hot red-ball form into white-ball runs to continue building his case for an Ashes recall.Labuschagne was dropped from the Test side for the tour of West Indies but has roared back into contention with centuries in his last two Sheffield Shield matches for Queensland.Green’s injury was diagnosed as “low grade” but Australia are not taking any chances with him ahead of the Ashes, which start in six weeks. “Cameron Green has been ruled out of the (India) series having experienced low-grade side soreness at training this week,” Cricket Australia said.“Green will complete a short period of rehabilitation and is tracking to return to play in round three of the Sheffield Shield to continue his preparation for the Ashes.”Round three of the domestic competition is due to start on October 28. Labuschagne will join the ODI squad once the current Sheffield Shield round finishes this weekend.Cricket Australia said Friday Green had been ruled out of the ODI series after having “low grade side soreness” in training and would likely return to play in Shield cricket.The all-rounder joins Pat Cummins on the sidelines, with the regular skipper struggling to shake off lower back bone stress which has put him in doubt for the start of the Ashes.Australia will also be without regular wicketkeeper Alex Carey for the Perth opener against India along with spinner Adam Zampa.Josh Philippe will be behind the stumps, while left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann gets a rare chance in the one-day side in Zampa’s absence.The ODIs precede a five-match T20I series starting in Canberra on October 29 as both nations tune up for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year.

South Africa will be without striker-bowler Kagiso Rabada for today’s opening One Day International against England at Headingley, captain Temba Bavuma revealed ahead of the clash.The 30-year-old is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered in Australia, where South Africa won a three-match ODI series last month.Matthew Breetzke, who has started his ODI career with four consecutive scores of 50 or more, injured his hamstring in the second of the ODIs against Australia and also sits out the opening clash against England as a precautionary measure.Teenage pace bowler Kwena Maphaka, 19, will also not play as Bavuma said his workload was being managed, but he could yet feature in the limited overs clashes in England. The three ODIs are followed by three Twenty20 internationals.“Kwena is an exciting player; he is still probably on the raw side, but that makes him even more exciting. He is a bit more awkward to face than other lefties, and he may have a role to play in these weather conditions,” Bavuma told a press conference Monday.Veteran pinch-hitter David Miller also misses out on the ODIs but is in the squad for the T20s. He remains in contention for the 2027 World Cup squad, added Bavuma.The 36-year-old has not played international cricket since the Champions Trophy in March and missed the tour to Australia because he was playing in the Hundred competition in England.“Any international commitments that occurred during the Hundred, David wasn’t available for. Unfortunately, he wasn’t part of our build-up for the ODIs. But then with the T20 stuff, the Hundred is done, he’ll fall back into the team,” the South Africa captain explained. “David’s still within the mix in the ODI stuff,” he added.Baker to make England debut in South Africa ODIPace bowler Sonny Baker will make his England debut in the first one-day international against South Africa today after impressing in the Hundred.The 22-year-old will line up alongside Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse in a three-man pace attack at Headingley.Baker took nine wickets in seven appearances for the Manchester Originals in the Hundred franchise competition, including a hat-trick against England white-ball captain Harry Brook’s Northern Superchargers last month.“He’s been awesome in the Hundred. We’ve seen him bowl at some of the best batters in the world and he’s had them on toast,” said Brook.The skipper praised Baker’s pace, ability to swing the ball and his bowling at the end of matches.“Quite a lot of people are excited to see where he goes,” he added. “It looks like he has quite a lot about him.”The team announcement came as England all-rounder Jamie Overton ruled himself out of contention for the upcoming Ashes series in Australia, placing his red-ball career on hold.“After a great deal of thought I have decided to take an indefinite break from red-ball cricket,” the Surrey paceman posted on social media. “At this stage of my career, with the demands of cricket across a 12-month calendar, it’s no longer possible to commit fully to all formats at every level, both physically and mentally.”The 31-year-old won his second Test cap against India in late July and had a strong chance of featuring in the squad for the Ashes despite a mixed outing at the Oval. Brook was taken aback by Overton’s decision, saying: “I’m a little bit shocked to be honest. I’d heard rumours but I hadn’t heard it from him until today. It would have been nice to have him there in the Ashes. When he is fully fit and firing he bowls thunderbolts and he can whack it out of the park.”Overton was last month named in England’s white-ball squad to face South Africa but head coach Brendon McCullum has preferred Baker for the opening match. The first ODI in Leeds kicks off a three-match series against the Proteas, which is followed by three T20s.SquadsEngland team: Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (capt), Jos Buttler (wkt), Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Sonny BakerSouth AfricaAiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton (wicketkeeper), Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Wiaan Mulder, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi.