India falter in rain-curtailed series opener at Optus

It wasn’t one of the most promising starts for the Indian cricket team as they succumbed to a mortifying defeat in the ODI series opener Down Under. A match that had constant interruptions from the Rain Gods saw the Indian batting unit faltering while the hosts would simply run away with what was an easy chase for them.

Winning the toss, Australia opted to bowl first at the Optus Stadium. Even before India could get the wheels rolling, the cream of their batting order was back in the pavilion. Rohit Sharma (8), Shubman Gill (10), Virat Kohli (0) and Shreyas Iyer (11) were sent packing as India was reduced to 45/4.

India finally found some rhythm in the pair of KL Rahul (38) and Axar Patel (31) who switched roles between aggression and composure, propelling India to a decent stand. Adding 39 runs for the fifth wicket, Axar Patel eventually succumbed to Matthew Kuhnemann.

Washington Sundar (10) tried his best to complement KL Rahul but it wasn’t enough. Once Rahul fell to Mitchell Owen, India had their hopes of a revival dashed. Eventually at the end of 26 overs, they could pile up 136/9, courtesy of Rahul’s aggression in the center. Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Owen and Matthew Kuhnemann shared six wickets between them.

India found some early momentum as they removed the dangerous Travis Head (8) early in the innings. Matt Short (8) couldn’t add too many runs either as the Men in Blue tried their best to keep things tight at the other end. Sadly for the visitors, Mitchell Marsh had things under control, playing a fiery knock of 46* while Josh Philippe smashed 37 off 29 to run away with the chase.

Australia secured a 7-wicket win in the series opener. Axar Patel was the pick of the Indian bowling with figures of 1/19 while Mitch Marsh won the Player of the Match award for his commanding performance with the bat.