India produced an impressive all-round display to clinch a comfortable five-wicket win against Australia in the opening match of their three-game ODI series. The hero of the day was Mohammed Shami, who delivered a brilliant bowling performance, bagging a superb 5-wicket haul. This set the stage for India’s dominance in both the field and with the ball.
The partnership of Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of the order was a standout feature of India’s chase. They combined for a commanding 142-run opening stand. Gill, in fine form, capitalized on any width provided by the Australian bowlers during the powerplay, consistently finding the boundary. Gaikwad, initially cautious, soon found his rhythm and matched Gill’s boundary-scoring prowess as he reached his maiden ODI fifty.
Despite the early dominance of the Indian openers, Australia had a glimmer of hope when Adam Zampa was introduced into the attack. Gaikwad survived an LBW scare, but the partnership was eventually disrupted as Shreyas Iyer was run out, and Zampa clean bowled Gill. India found themselves in a precarious position, having lost three wickets for just nine runs.
However, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav combined to provide much-needed stability in the middle overs. Suryakumar showcased his versatility by tempering his aggressive instincts and focusing on straight drives, eventually securing his third ODI fifty. Rahul, the captain, displayed composure as he guided India to victory with well-placed lofted shots.
India’s triumph was significantly influenced by Mohammed Shami’s exceptional bowling display. Opting to field first, Shami struck early by removing Mitchell Marsh in the very first over. He continued to trouble the Australian batsmen, ultimately securing an impressive 5-wicket haul.
Australia, after the early setback, managed to recover through a resilient partnership between David Warner and Steve Smith. Warner, who was dropped on 14 by Shreyas Iyer, capitalized on the opportunity to notch his 29th ODI fifty. However, Shami’s return to the attack dismissed Warner, and Jadeja accounted for Smith, tilting the game in India’s favor.
Despite facing some setbacks, Australia showed resilience through Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green’s partnership, but rain briefly interrupted their progress. R Ashwin contributed with the wicket of Labuschagne, albeit in an unusual manner. The run-out of Cameron Green further added to Australia’s woes.
Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis counterattacked, forming a dynamic partnership of 62 runs. Inglis, in particular, displayed his power-hitting prowess with a spectacular six off Bumrah. However, Mohammed Shami returned to the fray, dismissing Stoinis and Inglis in quick succession to complete his well-deserved second five-wicket haul in ODIs. Pat Cummins chipped in with a quickfire 21 runs towards the end to propel Australia to a total of 276.
With a stellar bowling performance by Mohammed Shami, complemented by a well-executed chase led by the top order and anchored by KL Rahul, India secured a convincing five-wicket victory in the first ODI against Australia. This performance bodes well for India as they aim to continue their winning momentum in the series.
KL Rahul: (On captaincy) Not the first time, always happens with me. I’m used to it, I love it. I think the intensity in the afternoon was great, after Colombo this felt like heaven in the start but it was really hot and humid. It gets tough and physically challenging, but we’ve all worked on our fitness and that’s showing on the field. We only played five bowlers, so they had to bowl 10 overs. After Shubman got out, it was a bit tricky with the set batter out. But managed to build a good partnership with Surya, need to put myself in such challenging situations. (On partnership with Surya) We kept talking about hitting good cricket shots, rotating the strike and this is something all our batters are working on. We didn’t want to get bogged down, we were always on par so we wanted to take it deep.