In the 1st ODI between India and Australia, India successfully chased down a target of 189 runs despite a shaky start.
The first One Day International (ODI) match between India and Australia took place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, March 17. The match started at 1:30 PM IST and India won the toss, deciding to ball first. This decision was made in order to gain an advantage over the Australian team. Due to the absence of regular captains Rohit Sharma and Pat Cummins for different reasons, the upcoming match between India and Australia will be led by stand-in captains. Hardik Pandya will captain the Indian side, while Steve Smith will lead the Australian team.
The Indian team was struggling at 39-4 in their innings on a pitch that offered a lot of assistance to the bowlers. However, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja put on an unbeaten partnership of 108 runs to guide India to victory with 10.1 overs to spare. Rahul and Jadeja’s brilliant performance ensured that India secured a comfortable win over Australia.
India secured a thrilling five-wicket victory over Australia in the first ODI, thanks to a brilliant innings from KL Rahul. Despite a shaky start, with India losing three early wickets and later slumping to 39-4 while chasing a target of 189, Rahul held his nerves and scored a fine 75 off 91 balls with seven fours and a six. His unbeaten 108-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (45 not out) for the sixth wicket helped India to take the lead in the three-match series.
Earlier, India won the toss and chose to field first, and their bowlers didn’t disappoint. Led by Mohammed Shami, who finished with figures of 3/17, the Indian bowlers wrapped up the Australian innings for just 188 runs in 35.4 overs. Mohammed Siraj also picked up three wickets. Although Mitchell Marsh scored a brilliant 81 off 65 balls while opening in place of the injured David Warner, the rest of the Australian batting lineup, including skipper Steve Smith, failed to make any significant contribution. India’s impressive performance with the ball and Rahul’s heroic innings ensured their victory in the first ODI.
India and Australia are currently ranked first and second, respectively, in the ICC Men’s ODI rankings. Both teams have been performing exceptionally well in recent times, with India winning all of their last five ODI matches, and Australia also securing victories in their last five games. In the 143 ODI matches played between these two teams, Australia has been dominant, winning 80 matches, while India has won 53 matches. With such a competitive history between them, the upcoming match between India and Australia will be sure to be an exciting contest once again.
