India made a strong comeback after Usman Khawaja’s century before the Australian lower-order lifted the visitors to 272 for 9 in the series-deciding fifth and final ODI at Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi on Wednesday.
Khawaja, who had not scored a century before arriving to India for this series, hit an exact 100 off 106 balls and shared two big partnerships at the top of the order.
Australia were placed comfortably at 175 for one in the 33rd over and set for a kill in slog overs, but the script changed for the hosts when Bhuvneshwar Kumar got rid off Khawaja in the last ball of the that over.
The visitors added only 97 runs after that in 17 overs, surrendering the advantage, which was well-earned by Khawaja and his top-order colleagues.
The left-hander, who hit a century in Ranchi as well, first raised a 76-run stand with Aaron Finch (27) after his skipper elected to bat in hazy and overcast conditions and followed it up with a 99-run partnership with Peter Handscomb (52).
Bhuvneshwar took three wickets for 48 runs while Ravindra Jadeja (2/45) and Mohammed Shami (2/57) accounted for two batsmen each.
Jadeja bowled a beauty to Finch
The Feroz Shah Kotla wicket did not have much for either spinners or pacers but was far from the usual low and slow track as the Australians easily worked the ball around.
Khawaja was yet again impressive with his footwork, handling the Indian spinners nicely before being caught at shot extra cover by Kohli off Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
The left-hander hit 10 fours and two sixes before driving straight to Kohli.
Jadeja then got rid of Glenn Maxwell (1) and Shami sent back Handscomb as Australia lost three wickets in the space of 14 balls.
The tide turned in India's favour with Australia managing just 27 runs in overs between 34 and 40.
Jadeja, who replaced Yuzvendra Chahal, made a strong case for himself for inclusion in the World Cup squad with figures of 10-0-45-2.
Jasprit Bumrah was exceptional in his first eight overs giving just 14 runs but Jhye Richardson (29) spoilt his figures by creaming off four boundaries from his ninth over, providing one last push to Australian innings.
It turned out to be a forgettable day for chinaman Kuldeep Yadav who bled 74 runs in his 10 overs but dismissed dangerous Ashton Turner (20) cheaply.
Earlier, it was only Mohammed Shami who initially tested Finch with away-going and in-coming balls but once the Australia captain got his eye in, he went about his business without fuss.
Khawaja continued with his rich form, striking boundaries easily. His straight boundary, punched on the up, off Bhuvneshwar was a treat to watch.