Pandya and spinners secure India’s win against Australia
After India scored 281 for seven, a lengthy mid-innings rain break left Australia needing 164 runs in 21 overs but the the visitors were restricted to 137 for nine wickets
CHENNAI: Hardik Pandya’s allround brilliance and some excellent bowling by the Indian spinners secured a 26-run victory against Australia under the Duckworth-Lewis method in the rainhit first One-day International (ODI) on Sunday. Pandya struck a career-best 83 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni made 79 to help the hosts overcome a top-order collapse and post 281 for seven at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
However, a lengthy mid-innings rain break left Australia needing 164 runs in 21 overs to go 1-0 up in the five-match series.
Glenn Maxwell smashed 39 and James Faulkner made 32 not out but Pandya (2-28) and India’s spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal (3-30) and Kuldeep Yadav (2-33) combined to restrict Australia to 137 for nine. Earlier, home captain Virat Kohli’s decision to bat appeared to backfire when Nathan Coulter-Nile’s three-wicket burst reduced India to 11 for three inside six overs.
Kedar Jadhav and Rohit Sharma then added 53 runs for the fourth wicket to arrest the slide. Jadhav lived dangerously to score his 40, while Sharma made 28 before both fell to Marcus Stoinis, leaving India reeling at 87 for seven in the 22nd over.
A 200-plus score looked a distant dream for the hosts at that stage but Pandya and Dhoni had other ideas.
Pandya clobbered Adam Zampa for three successive sixes in a 24run over, bringing up his fifty off 48 balls in the process.
The all-rounder blasted five sixes and smashed many fours in his 66-ball blitz before falling to the leg-spinner.
Dhoni, who took 67 balls to score his first boundary, accelerated towards the end and raised 72 runs with Bhuvneshwar Kumar who scored 32 not out.
Australia wobbled early in their chase as Jasprit Bumrah bowled Hilton Cartwright and then took a swirling skyer to dismiss rival skipper Steve Smith.