IND vs AUS: 1st ODI Review – Twin hundreds from Warner, Finch guide Australia to record 10-wicket win
David Warner and Aaron Finch smashed unbeaten centuries as Australia cruised to an emphatic 10-wicket win against India in the first ODI at Mumbai. The visitors, continuing their mojo from their last India tour, have secured a 1-0 lead in this 3-match ODI series.
Check out the full scorecard here.
India collapse after Dhawan-Rahul century stand
It wasn’t the blazing start from India that the Wankhede crowd had hoped to witness. Put in to bat first, the hosts lost opener Rohit Sharma (10) as early as in the fifth over. Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul then began the rebuilding process, adding 121 runs for the second wicket. Rahul, three runs shy of a deserving fifty, hit a length ball straight to covers to make his way back to the pavilion.
In the next five overs, India lost a settled Dhawan (74), skipper Virat Kohli (16) and Shreyas Iyer (4). Pat Cummins found the breakthrough in the form of Dhawan as the southpaw looked to hit through mid-off. Adam Zampa then took a stunning catch off his own bowling to send Kohli packing and Mitchell Starc followed, getting Iyer to nick one to the keeper.
Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja got into the act, stitching a crucial 49-run stand but it wasn’t enough against Australia’s disciplined pace battery. Towards the end of what was a rather drab effort, tailenders Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav put up a fine display of proper cricketing shots as India ended up with 255 on the board. At least 30-40 runs short on Wankhede’s batting paradise.
Warner, Finch smash records
It looked like just another solid start from Australia’s destructive opening duo. But by the end of the innings, Finch and Warner had broken multiple records en route a phenomenal victory. The pair went on to register the highest-ever opening stand (255*) for Australia in ODIs against India. The previous best – 231 at Bengaluru in 2017, also belonged to Finch and Warner.
It helped that Finch won the toss and elected to chase at a ground that is prone to the dew factor. Still, the Australian batting scorecard was a stinging reflection of India’s shabby bowling performance. Not a single Indian bowler could manage to get their foot in the door. The last time India suffered a crushing 10-wicket defeat was in 2005 – against South Africa at Kolkata.
