Pacers on mark as Australia go 1-0 up against India
The hosts put in a clinical shift in a rain-shortened contest in Perth to take the lead in the three-match ODI series.
Australia’s seasoned pacers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc struck early with the ball to lay the foundation for a comprehensive win against India in the ODI series opener.
Making the most of the pace-friendly conditions on offer, the experienced duo were on the mark from the get-go as they sent India’s returning batting stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in their opening burst.
Hazlewood opened Australia’s account in the fourth over, bringing extra bounce and seam movement into play as Rohit edged one to second slip.
Also making a comeback to international cricket for the first time since India’s ICC Champions Trophy triumph was Virat Kohli. The India veteran, who scored a magnificent Test hundred at the Optus Stadium in Perth last year, was unable to find rhythm as Mitchell Starc claimed him for a duck.
Looking to drive one from outside the off stump, Kohli caught a thick outside edge which was claimed by Cooper Connolly with an acrobatic catch in the point region.
Australia tightened the screws on India as Nathan Ellis notched up the wicket of skipper Shubman Gill off his first delivery. Josh Hazlewood completed his brace with the ball to dismiss Shreyas Iyer, leaving India four wickets down for 45.
The much-anticipated clash in Perth was affected by rain, which reduced the contest to 26-overs-a-side.
For the visitors, KL Rahul (38) and Axar Patel (31) turned the tide with crucial cameos. Making his ODI debut for India, Nitish Kumar Reddy also contributed with 19 runs as India closed with 136 runs on the board. The target for Australia was adjusted to 131 via the DLS method.
Defending the total, India got off to a superb start as Arshdeep Singh got the valuable wicket of Travis Head in the powerplay.
Not too later, Axar Patel brought in a second, with Rohit Sharma completing a fine catch for Matthew Short's wicket.
It was from here that captain Mitchell Marsh (46*) and Josh Phillipe (37) compiled a 55-run stand for the third wicket. While Washington Sundar also got on the wickets tally, it was a little too late for India to push their case in Perth.
Marsh went on to remain unbeaten alongside Matt Renshaw to seal a seven-wicket win for the hosts with 29 balls to spare.
Mitchell Marsh hits highest ODI score on his birthday | CWC23
Batting highlights as Mitch Marsh hit a sizzling 121 from 108 balls for Australia against Pakistan at the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023
The Australia skipper was all-praise for the efforts from the likes of Phillipe and Mitchell Owen, who also notched up a couple of wickets.
"Proud of the way our young guys came out and took the game on and got us over," Marsh said after the game.
"(Josh Philippe) Came out and made it look very easy, didn't he? It's fun to get young kids coming in. They're not necessarily young kids, the young guys coming in. You just want them to have fun and enjoy it."
Meanwhile his India counterpart Shubman Gill pinpointed the loss of early wickets as a pivotal moment in the game.
"When you lose three wickets in the powerplay, you're always trying to play a catch-up game," Gill mulled.
"A lot of learnings for us from this game and a lot of positives for us as well. We were defending 130 and we took the game, not till the very end, but pretty deep."
The two teams will next face off in the second ODI on October 23 at the Adelaide Oval.