Pandya, Dhoni mastermind Indian win

Australia’s tour of India for a series of One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals got off with a game that was nearly a mix of both formats. At the end of an eventful, rain-affected game, it was India which went 1-0 up in the five-match ODI series with a 26-run victory on the DLS method at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday (September 17).

India got the opportunity to bat out its 50 overs but was in danger of not doing so, having been reduced to 87 for 5 by Nathan Coulter-Nile in the main. From there on, though, contrasting half-centuries from Hardik Pandya and Mahendra Singh Dhoni lifted it to 281 for 7.

The faintest of drizzles for a two-hour period at the end of the innings delayed resumption and left Australia with a revised target of 164 from 21 overs. The visitor seemed caught between the two formats in its chase and managed only 137 for 9 when it ran out of time.

The wrist-spinning duo of Yuzvendra Chahal (3 for 30) and Kuldeep Yadav (2 for 33) were among the wickets, but it was Pandya who provided two crucial strikes at the top to derail the chase.

Before doing the job with the ball, Pandya changed the course of the game with brutal hitting during his 66-ball 83. Pleasingly for India, it wasn’t a one-gear knock; Pandya took his time before changing momentum in a 24-run over off Adam Zampa.

Dhoni’s 79 off 88 was equally effective. That his first boundary came only off his 67th ball tells a lot about how he played the situation perfectly and lifted India out of trouble yet again.

India opted to bat first, expecting the pitch to slow down with time. But for the initial part, the surface had bounce and provided carry.

Pat Cummins and Coulter-Nile hit the perfect line and length for such a deck – either short with good pace, or back of length.

The wickets, however, came from the fuller balls. Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli perished chasing wide balls, Glenn Maxwell taking a stunning one-handed overhead catch to remove the Indian captain for a rare duck. Manish Pandey followed suit immediately, jamming a full ball to Matthew Wade to leave India 11 for 3. It could have been worse had Steve Smith not dropped Rohit Sharma at second slip.

Rohit and Kedar Jadhav rebuilt for a brief period in a 50-run partnership before Rohit perished, hooking Marcus Stoinis straight to deep square-leg.

Soon, Stoinis’ seemingly harmless short ball snared another victim with Jadhav pulling straight to mid-wicket, leaving India 87 for 5.

With more than 28 overs remaining, Dhoni got down to business, nudging singles and playing out spells from Coulter-Nile and Cummins. Pandya too curbed his natural instincts initially before launching a stunning assault that gave the innings impetus.

The remarkable phase began in the 37th when Pandya thrashed Zampa for a four and three consecutive sixes – each of them typically clean strikes down the ground - to race past his 50 off 48 balls. He followed up the 24-run over with a boundary in each of the next four overs as India finished the second Power Play at 198 for 5, all set for a strong finish.

But in a brave move, Smith recalled Zampa for the 41st. Pandya greeted the leg-spinner with another huge six down the ground, but fell the very next ball when he got a top-edge to short third-man, attempting another hoick.

With Bhuvneshwar Kumar giving good company, Dhoni took over after Pandya’s exit. His hard-earned 50 took 75 balls but once the landmark was reached, he opened up.

James Faulkner in particular was in the firing line, Dhoni taking him for two sixes and three fours in his last two overs as India added 83 in the last ten.

With the ball moving around after the rain break, India’s pacers produced an encore of their Australian counterparts. Hilton Cartwright, on ODI debut, struggled to get bat on ball before seeing his off-stump uprooted by Jasprit Bumrah in the fourth over.

Bumrah then played a big part in Smith’s dismissal in the next over, running behind from short fine-leg to hold on to a terrific catch off Pandya, who soon had Travis Head caught behind, leaving Australia 29 for 3.

Much depended on David Warner, but when he edged Kuldeep to Dhoni in the eighth over, Australia’s hopes faded.

But it wasn’t quite game, set and match yet. That was because Maxwell was still there, and he sent some shivers down the crowd’s spine when he took Kuldeep for a four and three sixes in the 11th over.

Australia hoped again, but Chahal ended those hopes in the very next over when he forced Maxwell to drag one from outside off to long-on. The rest of the game was just an opportunity for the Indian bowlers to increase their wicket-tally.