NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma scored his 50th international century, and Virat Kohli played a brilliant knock in what could be their last outing in Australia, helping India secure a nine-wicket win in the third ODI on Saturday.

After Harshit Rana and the Indian bowlers limited Australia to a modest 236, Rohit (121 not out) and Kohli (74 not out) put together an unbeaten 168-run partnership for the second wicket in just 170 balls. This guided India to 237 for one in 38.3 overs.

'Thank you, Australia': Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli share memories and gratitude after guiding India to big win in Sydney

Although Australia won the three-match series 2-1, Rohit and Kohli gave the thrilled Sydney crowd a memorable performance, producing masterful innings and saving India from a series whitewash.

After the match, former India coach Ravi Shastri captured the moment perfectly while talking to Rohit and Kohli: "You two old dogs still have a sting in the tail."

Rohit smiled at the comment, replying, "Looks like it, yes. We enjoy our cricket, most importantly, no matter what accolades we've achieved. But it's important that whenever you get an opportunity to play, you've got to come and start fresh. And that's what we did when we arrived in Perth - forget what has happened in the last 15–17 years, we always wanted to start fresh, and that's how I personally look at all the games that I play. I'm sure it'll be the same for Virat as well, but I enjoyed playing these three games."

Kohli also praised his long-standing partnership with Rohit, highlighting how their understanding and synergy at the crease has been crucial in turning games in India's favour.

"Good to be out of the pond. The game shows you something even at this stage. It's so challenging when things aren't going your way. Situations in the middle get the best out of me. Easy to bat with Rohit, glad it was a match-finishing stand. From early on, we understood the game well. That's how you become successful. Even back in the day, we thought we could take games away from the opposition. It all started in 2013 vs Australia, in the ODIs at home. They also know that games are sealed if we batted 20 overs together," Kohli said.