Along with Hardik Pandya, the former captain shared 118-run stand to help India post a competitive total. “I am the same Hardik I was a year back”, Pandya said. “We could have perhaps played a little bit differently”, he added.
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“I don’t play for centuries”.
India have included two wristspinners- Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal – in the squad.
With India coming home from a resounding success in Sri Lanka, in which they won all three Test matches, all five ODI matches, and the lone Twenty20 match, there is an expectation that good form will be built on and that a vulnerable Australian side could provide the flawless cannon fodder for Kohli’s men. One might not help but notice of the fast approaching 50 worldwide centuries for Kohli. But the rain returned again to delay proceedings.
It was a cruel loss given the match was only minutes from being abandoned when play resumed.
After surviving a leg before scare, Smith mistimed the next delivery and ended up top-edging it high in the air which Bumrah brilliantly pouched at short fine. Maybe they can bowl on the stumps with two catchers on the on-side.
Seasoned opener David Warner (25 from 28 balls; 4*2) offered some resistance but the introduction of chinaman Kuldeep Yadav brought his downfall, comfortably caught behind by Dhoni. He nearly immediately made his presence felt as he mixed wicket-taking balls with free hits like some kind of side street Three-card Monte con artist.
The visitors simply couldn’t kick on when faced with a steep target off 21 overs, as all their work in the Indian innings was undone.
The 24-run over swung the innings as Pandya pounced on anything full on his way to 83 off 66 balls. Once he gets his role done, he’ll start winning us games.
Rahane was the first to depart after a wild swing at a ball wide outside the off-stump found the edge and sailed into Matthew Wade’s gloves behind the wicket.
The dismissal of Kohli was one of three early wickets for Nathan Coulter-Nile in the first ODI in Chennai, the paceman removing Ajinkya Rahane, Kohli and Manish Pandey in the space of just seven balls to reduce India to 3-11 after the hosts had elected to bat first.
It was Maxwell in the first half of the match that started Australia’s ascendancy with a sensational catch to send back Virat Kohli, who had chosen to bat first expecting the pitch to slow down considerably in the chase.
Australia’s Glenn Maxwell has again proven his worth in the field with an absolute screamer of a catch to remove Virat Kohli in the first one-day worldwide in Chennai.
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Indian batters are been in good form with veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni also finding himself among runs in Sri Lanka. MS Dhoni’s finishing skills aren’t getting better, while KL Rahul, Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav haven’t yet carved their name in any of the open spots in India’s middle order. Smith, who had earlier dropped Rohit Sharma (28) at slips, let his team down in the 28th over. Not the one to shy away from a battle against the seamers, he stamped his authority on the likes of James Faulkner and Marcus Stoinis.
