Mohali (Punjab): India put up a complete performance to defeat Australia by five wickets in the opening game of the three match ODI series here on Friday. After bundling out the hosts for 276, the foundation for the chase was provided by belligerent half centuries by openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shubman Gill, while skipper KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav (50) provided the final flourish in a nail-biting clash.
Chasing a formidable 277, first it was the Ruturaj (71) and Shubman Gill (74), who added a staggering 142 runs for the opening wicket. The duo played round the ball and had variety of shots in their book as they took on a mighty Australian attack. While Ruturaj smashed 10 boundaries, Gill's knock was laced with six boundaries and two maximums (sixes).
Australia did try to make a comeback of sorts by taking quick wickets in the middle orders as India from 142/1 was reduced to 185/4 with Shreyas Iyer (3) and Ishan Kishan (18) falling cheaply. But KL Rahul, who is leading the team in place of regular skipper Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav had other ideas. The duo conjured an 80-run stand for the fifth wicket as they took the team on the cusp of a victory.
Surya, who has been consistently backed by the team management, reposed the faith. Surya, however, was dismissed soon after completing his individual fifty. Later, KL Rahul, who also notched up his fifty and then fittingly finished the game by smashing a six. Rahul remained unbeaten on 58 off 63 balls even as India completed the chase with 8 balls to spare.
Earlier, Indian bowlers led by Mohammed Shami (5/51) dished out a disciplined show as the KL Rahul-led Men in Blue dismissed Australia to 276.
Mohammed Shami, who was impressive at the start and in the death overs, was ably supported by pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah (1/43) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/51) and Ravichandran Ashwin (1/47). Experienced opener and seasoned campaigner David Warner top scored with a handy knock of 52 while Josh Inglish's run-a-ball 45 helped the visitors cross the 250-run mark.
KL Rahul won the top and put the visitors into bat in the series opener. Experienced pacer Mohammed Shami justified his captain's decision giving India a dream start by dismissing Mitchell Marsh in the single digits. He dismissed the batter on the fourth delivery of the innings but David Warner and Steven Smith joined forces to forge a 94-run partnership for the second wicket. Warner went on to score a fifty but was dismissed in the 19th over. Steven Smith (41), Marnus Labuschagne (39), and Cameron Green (31) failed to convert starts, and the visitors were reduced to 186/5 from 98/2.
Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis steered the innings at the back end with the former taking charge. A late onslaught by Josh Inglis coupled with some brisk hitting from Marcus Stoinis propelled Australia to near the 250-run mark on a track that was conducive for batting. The duo conjured a 62-run stand for the sixth wicket to bring the team from down under back into the game after they suffered a middle-order collapse. Stoinis was dismissed on 29 by Mohammed Shami and then the Australian innings suffered a collapse. The continuous fall of wickets resulted in the team being bowled out for 276 at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium.
Meanwhile, following their win against Australia, India became the No.1 ranked ODI team. India are now the number one ranked team in all three formats - ODIs, Tests and T20.
