In the first ODI match of the Australia tour of India 2023, India beat Australia by five wickets at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.
Indian skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and chose to field first. While the decision looked tricky, it faired well for the home side as Australia were bowled out for mere 188 runs courtesy of some exceptional bowling show by Mohammad Siraj, Mohammad Shami and co.
While chasing, India too had a shaky start as they lost three wickets in quick succession. Although Shubman Gill (20) had some luck in his favour at the start, yet he couldn’t convert it into a big one. It was KL Rahul (75) who managed to overcome the odds and scored a fifty which was enough to secure the win. Captain Pandya also played a handy knock but it was the Indian wicketkeeper batter along with Ravindra Jadeja (45), who took the game deep with their rocky partnership in the middle overs and helped India chase down the score.
From the Australian side, opener Mitchell Marsh (81) was at his best as he scored a handsome fifty. There were also a few contributions from captain Steve Smith (22) Josh Inglis (26) and Marnus Labuschagne (15). The five-time World Cup champions needed a few more significant hits to put up a respectable score but were unable to do so.
Some fierce bowling from the Indian setup held the visitor for less than 200 runs. Mohammad Siraj, and Mohammad Shami were the heavyweights in the department as they claimed three wickets each. Jadeja picked two wickets while one wicket each was taken by Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya.
Mitchell Starc was the lone warrior while defending with the ball as he picked three wickets. Along with him, Marcus Stoinis also grabbed two wickets.
Ravindra Jadeja was adjudged Man of the Match for his electrifying all-round effort. With this win, India are one up in the three-match series.
Scorecard:
Australia: 188/10, Overs 34.5, Mitchell Marsh 81, Mohammad Shami 3/17
India: 191/5, Overs 39.5, KL Rahul 75*, Mitchell Starc 3/49