India v Australia, 2013-14

At Bangalore, November 2, 2013 (day/night). India won by 57 runs. Toss: Australia.
Somehow the schedulers got their wish: a seven-match series that headed into the last game all square. Batting first was not the preferred option - by now it was impossible to know what represented a good score - but with little moisture around, Rohit Sharma and Dhawan racked up their third century stand of the series. Sharma ran out his partner for a duck, but he made amends against a knackered attack who may have wished they had joined Mitchell Johnson back home for some R&R; Watson strained a hamstring 19 days before the Ashes. Australia missed the last opportunity to keep the score down to something respectable when substitute Moises Henriques parried the ball over the square-leg boundary for the eighth of Sharma's 16 sixes, which broke Watson's one-day international record of 15, against Bangladesh at Mirpur in 2010-11. He and Dhoni butchered 100 from the final five overs - even though both were out in the last. Sharma finished on 209 from 158 balls, the third double-hundred in the format, after Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. Australia slumped to 138 for six in the 23rd over, but still gave India a scare. Maxwell had started the show by hitting his first ball for six and reaching 50 in 18, though the chase truly took off after Faulkner brought out the big shots in a partnership of 115 for the ninth wicket with McKay. Vinay Kumar became the first bowler to concede 100 or more and finish on the winning side; the 19 sixes hit by each side were a record, both for an innings and a match. Things got heated when Watson, forced down to No. 8 and facing his first ball, drove towards Dhawan at extra cover, who unkindly mimicked his hobble. Watson sought him out for choice words when he took a single next ball. Jadeja was fined 10% of his match fee for giving Watson an abusive send-off.
Man of the Match: R. G. Sharma. Man of the Series: R. G. Sharma.