In the 1st ODI of India vs Australia 2019 five-match One-day International (ODI) series at Hyderabad on Saturday (March 2), the pitch wasn’t that easy to bat on for both the teams. In a low-scoring contest, MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav have shouldered the responsibility to take the Men in Blues, home in a sublime way. The hosts overhauled the target in 48.2 overs with six wickets in hand when Dhoni finished things off in style on the bowling of Marcus Stoinis. Thus, India leads the series 1-0.
With this, Dhoni remained unbeaten on 59 off 72 balls, whereas, Jadhav remained not out on 81 of 87 deliveries. He smashed nine fours and a six, as Dhoni attributed his score with six fours and a maximum.
The duo put up a grand show by relying on each other to close-in the target while registered unbeaten 141-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
From the discussion at the centre of the pitch to a fifty each for Dhoni and Jadhav, the hosts had a good day at the office in what turned out to be a one-sided affair.
Man of the Match:
The 33-year-old Pune-born Jadhav, who’s playing his 55th ODI, slammed his fifth ODI fifty which came at the crucial time for India. He played a significant role for the Men in Blue to become the top-scorer of the game. Impressive Jadhav has pierced the gaps while making most of the bad deliveries at the get-go.
Turning Point:
At one stage, India was reeling at 99 for four in 23.3 overs, when Dhoni alongside Jadhav put skating shoes on to rotate the strike following a quiet start. The duo forged a hundred-plus run stand for the fifth wicket — to put India in command at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
Dhoni and Jadhav wore down Australian bowlers by finding the odd-boundaries. On such a slow surface, the duo had set an example by playing according to the merit which subsequently paid rich dividends to the Men in Blue.
India’s second Innings:
India when chasing the trickiest target of 237, had a similar start to that of Australians. The hosts lost senior campaigner in the form of Shikhar Dhawan when India’s score was four in 1.1 overs.
The southpaw couldn’t open his account before handing a simple catch to Glenn Maxwell on the bowling of Nathan Coulter-Nile.
However, Rohit alongside skipper Virat Kohli put up 76 runs for the second wicket. But Kohli 44 (45) was trapped in front of the wickets by leg-spinner Adam Zampa. Kohli registered six fours and a six to score at the strike-rate of 97.77.
While adding 15 runs for the third-wicket, Rohit 37 (66) returned to the pavilion. Coulter-Nile managed to undone both the Indian openers.
Ambati Rayudu returned after scoring 13 off 19 deliveries.
Have a look at the detailed scorecard:
Australia’s first Innings:
Earlier, Australia skipper Aaron Finch won the toss and opted to bat first on a sluggish-looking surface. But his decision couldn’t augur well for the guest, as Finch returned to the pavilion on a nought. Jasprit Bumrah bowled a brilliant delivery which got the shoulder of Finch’s bat to settle in the gloves of Dhoni.
For the second-wicket, Usman Khawaja stitched crucial 87-run partnership alongside Marcus Stoinis in first 20 overs.
Stoinis, who got a good start couldn’t convert his score into a big one; punctuated with six fours. He consumed 53 balls for his 37 before throwing away his wicket on the bowling of Kedar Jadhav.
As soon as the fall of left-handed batsman Khawaja, Indian bowlers pulled things back by stemming the run flow. Also, the hosts’ bowlers picked wickets at regular intervals to keep guests under check.
Khawaja was the top-scorer for Australia. He slammed 76-ball 50 with the help of four fours and a solitary six.
Apart from him, Maxwell, who has been in the form of life put 40 off 51 deliveries on the board. Maxwell, who looked solid with the bat smashed four fours before Mohammed Shami cleaned him up with a beauty.
In between, Peter Handscomb got a start but got totally deceived when he charged down the ground on the bowling of Kuldeep Yadav. He managed to score 19 off 30 balls before Dhoni whipped off the bails in a flash.
Ashton Turner, who was playing his debut ODI game, could score 21 off 23 deliveries.
At one stage, Australia was 173 for six in 39.5 overs, Nathan Coulter-Nile alongside wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey added 62 runs for the seventh wicket to post 236 in 50 allotted overs for the Aussies.
Carey remained unbeaten on 36 off 37 deliveries, as Coulter-Nile faced 27 balls for his 28 before Bumrah got his wicket.
For India, Shami bowled exceptionally well by conceding 44 runs in his quota of 10 overs. Shami, Kuldeep and Jasprit Bumrah picked two wickets each, whereas, Jadhav picked a solitary wicket of Stoinis.
Australia’s most runs (41 each) came in the cover and long-on region respectively. Interestingly, as many as 122 runs came on the onside for the visitors’ batsmen. Also, they recorded 109 runs on the off side.
Have a look at the detailed scorecard:
With India leading the series 1-0, the second ODI will commence on March 5, 2019, in Nagpur.
