During the first ODI of Australia’s tour of India 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium, India beat Australia by 5 wickets to attain a 1-0 lead in a three-match series. The development has resulted in India winning their first ODI at this venue since 2011.
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Ideally, India would’ve thought of dominating a 190-run chase but it wasn’t to be as Australian pacers reduced them to 16/3 in the first five overs. With the ball seaming around, the likes of Ishan Kishan (3), Virat Kohli (4) and Suryakumar Yadav (0) were all caught off guard against a moving new ball.
It was a match-winning 108-run partnership for the sixth wicket between India wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul (75*) and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (45*) which powered the home team to a comfortable victory in the 40th over.
Left out of the Playing XI during the last two Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 Test matches, Rahul’s 13th ODI half-century has further elongated his purple patch as a middle-order wicket-keeper batter (719 runs across 15 innings at an average and strike rate of 65.36 and 101.41 respectively including a century and seven half-centuries).
IND vs AUS Man of the Match today 1st ODI
An innings total in excess of 300 runs was being talked about when Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh (81) hit 10 fours and five sixes at a strike rate of 124.61 earlier in the day but it wasn’t to be as the visitors lost eights wickets for 59 runs in the middle overs.
Having won the toss and opted to bowl first, India stand-in captain Hardik Pandya (1/29 & 25) would’ve been delighted with his decision after his bowlers bundled out Australia for 189 in 35.4 overs.
Pacer Mohammed Shami was the pick of the bowlers across both the teams with figures of 6-2-17-3 dismissing the likes of Josh Inglis (26), Cameron Green (12) and Marcus Stoinis (5) in successive overs. While Shami’s new-ball partner Mohammed Siraj also picked three wickets, Jadeja and spinner Kuldeep Yadav dismissed two and one batter respectively.
Playing an ODI after exactly eight months, Jadeja was adjudged the Player of the Match in this format after as many as 52 months. In addition to sending Marsh and Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (8) back to the pavilion, Jadeja was also seen grabbing a fantastic catch at backward point off Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne (15) in the 23rd over.
“I’m playing [an] ODI after eight months. So, was just looking to adjust as soon as possible. Luckily, [I] did well with the ball, got three [two] wickets. I was looking to build a partnership today of about 70-80 runs, and that happened,” Jadeja told host broadcaster Star Sports Network during the post-match presentation ceremony.
