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Paul Johnson with wires

Australia stun India on the back of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar to claim ODI series win and top ranking

Australia upstaged India to end the home side's streak of seven straight home ODI series victories. (Getty Images: Pankaj Nangia)

Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar have spun Australia to a stunning 2-1 ODI series victory over India on the subcontinent, as the tourists won match three of the series by 21 runs and took the top ODI rankings spot.

The victory ended India's winning streak of seven straight ODI series on home soil.

Zampa was brilliant as he took 4-45, while Agar was tidy, taking 2-41 off 10 overs that saw him on a hat-trick in his final over after he bowled Suryakumar Yadav for a golden duck.

After battling to be all out for 269 in their innings, Australia had to bowl well to defend the total and have a chance of an upset series win, but early on in the India innings it seemed like the tourists had little chance.

Openers Rohit Sharma and Shumban Gill got India off to a flyer as Sharma carted Australian spearhead Mitchell Starc all over Chennai's M.A Chidambaram Stadium in the early overs.

India were cruising when the captain fell to Sean Abbott for 30 runs off just 17 balls, but with Sharma's exit Virat Kohli came to the crease.

Scorecard

And as he so often has during his career, India's talisman delivered with the bat.

He may have lost Gill as a partner early on — when he was trapped LBW by Zampa for the legspinner's first wicket —  but Kohli and Lokesh Rahum put on 69 runs for the third wicket, before Zampa struck again.

Still India were on top and Kohli looked in complete control until he hit one high off the bowling of Agar before David Warner took a comfortable catch to dismiss him for 54.

Virat Kohli looked in great touch but the loss of his wicket turned the match. (Getty Images: Pankaj Nangia)

Yadav was bowled on the next ball for his third golden duck in the series, and the game had been turned.

Agar was denied a hat-trick when Ravindra Jadeja blocked out a good ball, but the damage was done.

It seemed only the hard-hitting Hardik Pandya could rescue India, and he looked like doing it after easily handling both Abbott and Starc.

But Pandya could not control himself against the spin and sliced one high as he tried to hit Zampa out of the park when the Australian tossed one up.

The left-handed Jadeja would then fall victim to Zampa in a mirror image of Pandya's dismissal.

Adam Zampa had plenty to smile about after a brilliant bowling performance. (Getty Images: Pankaj Nangia)

Still India never gave up the fight and Mohammad Shami gave them a brief glint of hope when he hit Marcus Stoinis for consecutive boundaries in the 48th over.

But his hope — and India's — was extinguished on the next ball when Stoinis bowled him.

With 22 needed off the final over India panicked and Kuldeep was run out by Stoinis to give Australia victory and the top ODI ranking.

India captain Sharma paid tribute to the Australian bowlers after the match.

"Both the spinners kept the pressure on and the seamers too," he said.

Ball-by-ball

Zampa was named man of the match but he said it was Agar who did the real damage when he dismissed Kohli.

"Ashton Agar, he changed the game," Zampa said.

"I don't feel like I deserve this one tonight, for us to get in the position to do what I did in the end … it's kudos to the guys who bowled before me."

Aussie opening question raised

Earlier in the game, Mitchell Marsh, who was named player of the series, continued his hot form as Australia reached 0-68, but a collapse of 5-70 put the visitors on edge.

Alex Carey (38), Stoinis (25) and Sean Abbott (26) led the recovery effort to at least help Australia reach a respectable total.

There was a big shock in the batting order when the returning Warner, who had finally recovered from a hairline fracture in his elbow and a corked quad, was named to bat at No.4.

It marked just the second time in Warner's decorated 142-game ODI career that he didn't open, the other being against Scotland at the 2015 World Cup when he scored 21no off six balls while batting at No.5.

His relegation down the batting order — and another promising display from Marsh — has added huge intrigue as to who will open at this year's World Cup in India.

Marsh's latest knock lifted his tally to 194 runs at an average of 97 across this three-match series, all as an opener.

Travis Head was retained as Marsh's opening partner for game three and made 33 off 31 balls, following on from his 51no off 30 balls in Sunday's 10-wicket thrashing of India.

ABC/AAP

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