The Indians, propelled by vice-captain Kohli, emphatically took a 1-0 lead in the three-game series ahead of matches in Melbourne on Friday and Sydney on Sunday. Australia’s Test and ODI captain had just had a conversation with commentators, answering questions that was broadcast live while at the crease during the 188-run chase when he miscued a shot and spooned a catch to Virat Kohli at extra cover. Ashwin, bowling with the new ball, was taken to the cleaners as Finch slammed him for a four and a six, while Nehra came in for the same treatment in the next over from Warner. The Indian was unhappy that Smith was giving commentating on the match while batting. Australia were all out for 151 with three balls in their innings remaining. “Then he can put pressure on the spinners, but otherwise it becomes slightly hard to consistently hit them for boundaries”, he added.
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However, debutante opener Beth Mooney’s run-a-ball 36 followed by an entertaining knock of unbeaten 41 by Alyssa Healy lower down the order helped Australia post 140/5.
Classy Virat Kohli produced another batting master-class before India spun Australia out of control in a 37-run victory in Tuesday night’s Twenty20 fixture.
India’s fast bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah and Ashish Nehra bowled well and Dhoni was quick to acknowledge that, although the spinners were the ones with the better figures at the end of the day.
Travis Head (2) and Chris Lynn (17), two of the most potent batsmen in the recent Big Bash League, could not lift Australia through the middle overs, debutant Hardik Pandya recovering from his first over in worldwide cricket going for 19 – including five wides – to dismiss BBL top scorer Lynn.
Rohit Sharma saw them off to a flier with 31 from 20 balls before Shane Watson struck twice in his first over. The right-hander hit the accelerator after reaching his fifty, slamming Watson, Australia’s most impressive bowler, for two fours in his final over.
“If they’re thinking about the World Cup they are likely to go out there and get a bit of stage fright so they have just got to play the game the way they have been playing”. “With the [number] of runs he’s scoring, by the time he ends his career quite a few Australian grounds will have his stand”, Dhoni quipped, in relation to the 27-year-old.
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The women’s team is also in Australia at the moment to play three T20s and two ODIs against the hosts.
