Pandya dandiya as Blues beat Oz
Fortunes swung like a pendulum, but India held their nerve to post a 26run win (DLS method) over Australia at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday to go 1-0 up in the five-match ODI series.
A tenacious M.S. Dhoni (79 off 88 balls) and a counter-attacking Hardik Pandya (83 off 66 balls) came together in a brilliant rescue act as India rallied their way from a horrendous start to post a challenging 281 for 7 in 50 overs.
A two-hour rain delay tilted the contest in favour of Australia as the target was revised to 164 in 21 overs. But a brilliant bowling performance by Pandya (2/28) and wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal (3/30) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/33) pinned Australia down to 137 for nine.
Once Jasprit Bumrah landed the first punch on the Aussies for the wicket of debutant Hilton Cartwright, the visitors started crumbling like a cookie. Pandya made it 29 for three by removing Steve Smith and Travis Head for single digit scores and Kuldeep Yadav netted the big fish, David Warner, to leave Australia 35 for four in eight overs. The capacity Sunday crowd booed every Aussie batsmen who walked in and such hostility was startling coming from Chepauk fans who had famously raised a toast for a victorious Pakistan team in 1999.
With the required rate soaring high, the onus fell on Glenn Maxwell (39 off 18 balls) who showcased some fireworks before vanishing like a smoke. He fell prey to leg-spinner Chahal. The match as a contest was over when Marcus Stoinis was caught leaving Australia 76 for six.