India drew first blood to take 1-0 lead versus Australia

India, leaving behind the disappointment of the T20I series loss, came storming back in the first ODI against Australia. The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, witnessed a clinical performance from the hosts. First, the bowlers delivered the goods and then, the batsmen backed up the good work.

The pitch looked dry and hard and so, it prompted Aaron Finch to bat first after winning the toss. But captain’s poor run of form continued as Jasprit Bumrah removed him for a duck. Mohammed Shami bowled brilliantly with the new ball and gave away just 6 runs from the first 4 overs, 2 of which were maidens. Australia dragged themselves to 38/1 after 10 overs.

Usman Khawaja and Marcus Stoinis were batting steadily and took the team to 87/1 from 20 overs. Kedar Jadhav, the man with the golden arm, removed Stoinis for 37. Khawaja too fell soon courtesy of Kuldeep Yadav for 50. Glenn Maxwell and Peter Handscomb came together and upped the ante. But Kuldeep struck again and got Handscomb out stumped for 37.

The story of Australian innings was like this all along. Batsmen came in, got their eye in and then departed. Shami struck twice to remove Ashton Turner and Maxwell to put India in command. Alex Carey and Nathan Coulter-Nile battled during the slog overs that propelled them to a low yet fighting total of 236/7.

India’s top-order failure proved to be a blessing in disguise

India lost Shikhar Dhawan early as he went back without scoring. Rohit Sharma was then joined by Virat Kohli. And when these two bat together, they make even a difficult pitch look easy. Kohli was in the mood to score quick runs as he did take his chances. Rohit, however, was a little subdued in his approach.

They added 76 runs for the 2nd wicket before Adam Zampa trapped Kohli in front for 44. Rohit’s stay was ended by Coulter-Nile for 37 in the 21st over. Ambati Rayudu too fell soon as Zampa took claimed his second scalp. India was in a slight spot of bother at 99/4 in the 24th over.

But the hosts had their man for a crisis – MS Dhoni at the crease. His partner Kedar Jadhav batted beautifully alongside and made sure the pressure didn’t get to Dhoni. Their partnership of 141 was flawless as they didn’t give even a sniff to the opposition. Jadhav ended up with an unbeaten 81 while Dhoni made 59 not out. The duo took India past the line with 10 balls to spare.

Match Summary

Australia won the toss and opted to bat first

Australia: 236/7 in 50 overs

Usman Khawaja 50( 76), Glenn Maxwell 40 (51)

Mohammed Shami 44/2 (10), Kuldeep Yadav 46/2 (10)

India: 240/4 in 48.2 overs

Kedar Jadhav 81* (87), MS Dhoni 59 (72)

Nathan Coulter-Nile 46/2 (9), Adam Zampa 49/2 (10)

India won by 6 wickets

Player of the Match: Kedar Jadhav

Also Read: Who will win the ODI World Cup 2019? Here are the top 5 contenders

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