That’s it from me today, my tv has unhelpfully turned immediately over to another sport so I’m taking that as my cue to leave. We’ll be back on Sunday for the second match in the series. Goodbye!
India go 1-0 up
Half-centuries from Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul help India win the first ODI by five wickets 🇮🇳#INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/xrVFI9lFtV
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) September 22, 2023
Shout out to Mohammed Shami who took career best 5-51 to restrict Australia to 276 to set up the victory.
India win by 5 wickets!
KL Rahul lofts a four to bring up his fifty and then finishes the match in style with a towering six down the ground. India take the first match of this series and the result was pretty much inevitable for the last two hours. Australia were flat with the ball and stodgy with the bat, they didn’t get enough runs on the board to put any pressure on India. It felt very much like a World Cup practice match but India won’t mind – they were consumnate with bat and ball.
48th over: India 270-5 (KL Rahul 48, Jadeja 2) Jadeja, not the quickest of starters with the bat it has to be said – makes his way to the crease. He clips a couple to take it to seven needed off 12 balls.
WICKET! Yadav c Marsh b Abbott 50 (India 265-5)
Yadav goes to his half ton but then gifts his wicket with a nonchalant flick to Marsh, the ‘Bison’ grazing out in the deep mid-wicket region and taking a simple catch. Eyecatching knock from SKY – he’ll be one to watch at the World Cup next month.
47th over: India 265-5 (KL Rahul 46, Jadeja 0)
46th over: India 263-4 (KL Rahul 45, Yadav 49) Cameron Green pitches back of a length on the top off stump and is flicked over fine leg for SIX by Suryakumar Yadav! Audacious stuff dude. The camera pans to a pleased looking Rahul Dravid in the dugout. Green has gone from 44 from his six overs. India can finish this in a hurry – just 14 needed.
45th over: India 253-4 (KL Rahul 44, Yadav 40) Cummins bowls his final over and just like the last over he blots his copy book with the final delivery – a leg side freebie is clipped away fine by Yadav to the fence at fine leg. You might well grimace Pat, your side have been off the pace for most of this match.
44th over: India 247-4 (KL Rahul 43, Yadav 35) Five runs pocketed off Matthew Short, Rahul creeps towards a 14th ODI fifty. My mind wanders to the astro-turf…
43rd over: India 242-4 (KL Rahul 40, Yadav 33) That’s more like it – eight runs slammed off the over, Cummins goes short with his final delivery and is swivelled away off the back foot by KL. 35 more needed – c’mon India – do it in (time efficient) style!
42nd over: India 234-4 (KL Rahul 33, Yadav 32) Matthew Short comes back for a twirl, once more from around the wicket. Five runs collected with ease, India need just 43 runs. On a personal note, and forgive me, but I’m due to play five-a-side at 6pm GMT. If this goes all the way to the last over unnecessarily and I’m late to don the Umbros then I shall not be a happy chappy. Gerronwithit!
41st over: India 229-4 (KL Rahul 33, Yadav 26) The best of the lot! Yadav plays another straight drive – this time on the up – and it fizzes away in a ruler straight line off his bat and down to the boundary. For all his flicks and tricks, the man they call SKY is showing off his orthodox batsmanship in this short innings.
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40th over: India 223-4 (KL Rahul 29, Yadav 25) Another lovely drive down the ground from Yadav, makers name being flaunted to the bowler. Drop! Another return catch goes down, they’ve been a feature of this innings. Stoinis stick out a left mitt low to the ground but the ball doesn’t stick.
39th over: India 214-4 (KL Rahul 26, Yadav 19) On we go, Abbott continues and three runs are taken off the over. These interminable overs are the down side of this format with India seemingly plodding towards an easy victory but taking their sweet time. 40 over ODIs anyone?
38th over: India 211-4 (KL Rahul 25, Yadav 17) Stoinis is summoned to send down his fourth over and is immediately greeted by a flourishing blade from Yadav, a straight drive bisects the field for four runs. Beautiful batting.
37th over: India 205-4 (KL Rahul 24, Yadav 12) Sean Abbot returns for his sixth over, he’s looked a bit unthreatening today but sends down a tidy over, four singles taken off it. Australia need wickets or about five maidens in a row.
36th over: India 201-4 (KL Rahul 22, Yadav 10) Zampa bowls out, finishing with 2-57 off his ten. A decent effort but you fear not enough to make a difference for his side. India need 76 and seem to be coasting. A biblical rain shower starts outside the window here in south London. At the moment it is drawing the eye more than the cricket…
35th over: India 196-4 (KL Rahul 20, Yadav 7) Shot! Yadav ramps Cummins over the vacant slip region for a one bounce four! That’s what Kishan meant to do. A punch to point and a clip to square leg bring two more singles. Too many easy runs in the field for India to exploit, curious lack of intensity from Australia.
34th over: India 190-4 (KL Rahul 19, Yadav 2) Zampa to bowl his ninth over, looking to add to his brace of wickets. Yadav and KL are content to rotate strike, five singles off the over with minimum fuss.
33rd over: India 185-4 (KL Rahul 16, Yadav 0) Suryakumar Yadav arrives at the crease and you can feel the crowd edge forward on their seats. Will we see his incredible ramp/slap/scoop shot? Not just yet – three dots close out the over.
WICKET! Ishan Kishan c Inglis b Cummins 18 (India 185-4)
Soft dismissal for Kishan, he gets a tiny feather on a slower ball bouncer from Cummins as he tries to guide over the keeper. Inglis takes a simple catch and India lose their fourth.
“Prittay, prittay good”
Another excellent ODI knock from Shubman Gill 💪
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) September 22, 2023
After 34 innings in the format, he averages 64.75 at a strike rate of 102.60, including 9 fifties and 5 centuries 😮#INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/MgDBFn9V6m
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32nd over: India 184-3 (KL Rahul 13, Kishan 18) Change of ends for the be-mulleted Matt Short. He’s round the wicket and nearly snares Rahul with one speared down the leg side - the replays show there was no bat on the sweep shot. Five runs off the over, India need 93 more off 108 balls and have plenty of fuel in the tank.
31st over: India 179-3 (KL Rahul 13, Kishan 15) Pat Cummins back into the attack, India need 99 runs, it is do or die time for the visitors. Cummins shows his class by mixing up his paces and length, restricting India to just a single off the over. The Aussie skipper has gone for just 23 off his six overs, nowt in the wickets column as yet though.
30th over: India 178-3 (KL Rahul 12, Kishan 15) Kishan smites another full ball back through Zampa and down the ground for four. The bowler does not look comfortable with these deliveries being laced back at him, an area he needs to improve on by the looks of it. KL Rahul then dances down to meet the ball on the full and flick through the leg side for four. Ten runs off the over and the partnership building for India – Australia need another flurry in the wickets column.
29th over: India 168-3 (KL Rahul 7, Kishan 10) Matt Short is on to bowl his fourth over, he drops short a couple of times but escapes unpunished as Rahul finds the fielders. Three off it, India re-building.
28th over: India 165-3 (KL Rahul 6, Kishan 8) Adam Zampa drops two in a row! Kishan smacks a full ball back hard and the bowler sticks out a hand more in luck than judgement, the ball slapping his palm and falling to the turf. Tricky but you see them taken. Next ball is a goober. KL Rahul is too early on the shot and gives a return catch off the leading edge, Zampa dives forward and spills a straightforward chance. NO COMMENT about his trendy glasses/Lathe Lenses TM. Salt meet wound, wound meet salt – KL Rahul slaps Zampa’s final ball for four through point.
27th over: India 158-3 (KL Rahul 1, Kishan 6) Australia - like a baby Boa Constrictor – begin a mini squeeze. Just two runs off the over and considerably more buzz from the team in yellow. India need 119 runs in 23 overs. Australia need seven more wickets.
26th over: India 156-3 (KL Rahul 1, Kishan 5) Ishan Kishan is the new man in the middle with his side having a bit of a wobble. ‘No mither’ says Ishan* as he belts his first ball down the ground for four. A push to long on takes it to five runs and the Gill wicket off the over. Game on!
*Probably
WICKET! Gill b Zampa 74 (India 151-3)
Bowled him! Off stump out of the ground as Gill goes back to cut a ball that skids on from Zampa. India have now lost three wickets for nine runs and the set batter is back in the hutch.
25th over: India 151-2 (Gill 73, KL Rahul 1) Green follows up with a tidy over, just three runs off it. Australia sniff an opportunity to get back into this game, they would dearly love to remove Gill and have two new batters at the crease.
24th over: India 148-2 (Gill 71, KL Rahul 0) A solitary run and a wicket off the over as Adam Zampa tries to prise Australia back into this contest. KL Rahul arrives in the middle to join Gill.
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WICKET! Iyer run out (Green) 3 (India 148-2)
Gah! Iyer burns himself by setting off for a run that wasn’t really there, Gill sent him back as Green collected the ball at short cover and hurled the ball to Inglis with the batter well short of his ground. A conflab between Gill and Iyer as the latter walks off forlornly.
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23rd over: India 147-1 (Gill 71, Iyer 3) Cameron Green probes away, a tighter over from the big lad, four singles off it with no real threat. Zampa seems to be the most likely source of wickets for Australia. Saying that, the ball that got rid of Gaikwad was more a rush of blood to the head from the batter rather than any real cunning from the bowler.
WICKET! Gaikwad lbw b Zampa 71 (India 142-1)
From nowhere! Gaikwad plays across the line to a straight one that skids into his pad slam in front. Zampa is confident and the umpire gives him the nod. Too little too late?
Shreyas Iyer is the new bat and gets off the mark with an edge past slip.
22nd over: India 143-1 (Gill 69, Iyer 1)
21st over: India 136-0 (Gaikwad 65, Gill 69) Stoinis – chest like an American fridge – is back into the attack and is targeting the middle of the wicket. Three singles nudged and nurdled before a shorter one sits up and is swatted away for four with ease by Gill.
20th over: India 129-0 (Gaikwad 63, Gill 64) Zampa gives it another go, bustling in whilst sporting those see-through glasses/goggles that take me back to working the lathe in CDT class at secondary school. They probably cost about 800 big ones. Fashun innit. Four singles clipped off the over. Zampa peers at the benign surface suspiciously through his ‘lathe lenses’ TM.
19th over: India 125-0 (Gaikwad 62, Gill 61) Cummins brings himself back on with the game drifting away from Australia. Five singles collected off the over and India are absolutely happy with that, they’ve given themselves plenty of breathing space.
18th over: India 120-0 (Gaikwad 59, Gill 59) Gaikwad steers for a couple to bring up a measured half century, he started in the shadow of Shubman but has started to show his class in the last few overs. Four! Abbot digs one in and is pulled over mid-wicket for four. Ooooft! Shot of the day for my GBPs. On the up outside off stump, Gaikwad holds then pose as the ball races away through the cover boundary. Ten off the over. One Way Traffic.
Ruturaj Gaikwad joins the party with a fine half-century.
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2023
Brings up his maiden ODI FIFTY.
Live - https://t.co/F3rj8GI20u… #INDvAUS@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/58D1HTsNh7
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17th over: India 110-0 (Gaikwad 49, Gill 59) Zampa is milked for four singles and then crunched away for four on the sweep by Gaikwad, he dropped onto his haunches in the blink of an eye and hit it sweetly. Nine runs off Zampa’s over, problems for Australia.
16th over: India 101-0 (Gaikwad 42, Gill 57) Abbot back into the attack, he’s straighter and more at the stumps which pleases Brad Haddin on the tv commentary. Just a couple off it, the hundred partnership brought up with ease by this alluring opening pair. Time for a drink. I’m going to dash through to the kitchen and brew up.
15th over: India 99-0 (Gaikwad 41, Gill 56) Zampa is summoned, this could be the key period of this chase. Australia need to make something happen. Zampa mixes up his pace and flight from the off, Gill and Gaikwad content to have a look and knock it around. Four off the over.
14th over: India 95-0 (Gaikwad 40, Gill 53) Short gives it some flight but there’s little in the way of turn. I’d fancy Zampa skidding it on this surface might be more effective than lovely loopy stuff. Sure enough, Gill skips down and biffs over mid-wicket for four. Ta-ra! Gill launches a length ball over long-on for a huge six to bring up his fifty. Effortless and chanceless.
13th over: India 83-0 (Gaikwad 39, Gill 42) Green is lomping in without much purpose here, a slower ball is marmalised through cover for a boundary by Gill and a short ball is pulled away for a sprightly two. Four more! Green goes short and Gaikwad throws the Armitage Shanks (other kitchen sinks are available) at it, a top edge whistles away over the keeper for four more. Thirteen runs for India, a chastening over for Green.
12th over: India 70-0 (Gaikwad 34, Gill 34) Matt Short to bowl his first over in ODI cricket. Cummins giving the off-spinning tyro a go before the more experienced Adam Zampa. Short lands it well in his first and relinquishes just two runs.
11th over: India 68-0 (Gaikwad 33, Gill 33) Green responds well after that bruising first over. Just a couple of singles. India are cruising along at six runs an over, well ahead of the rate and barely a sweat broken. They’ll be a force to be reckoned with in home conditions at the upcoming World Cup.
10th over: India 66-0 (Gaikwad 32, Gill 32) India continue to dominate these early exchanges, Abbot is milked for three singles with ease before his last two balls are dispatched for consecutive fours by Gaikwad. Both Indian openers look in fine fettle and the ball is pinging off the bat under lights. Australia need to break this partnership before too much of a chunk is taken out of the target.
9th over: India 55-0 (Gaikwad 23, Gill 30) Cameron Green is summoned into the attack and immediately given some tap. 12 runs off the over, Gill flat bats fine to pick up four and Gaikwad plays a Gill-esque punch on to steer a ball on top of the bounce for four more. Australia on the back foot here.
8th over: India 43-0 (Gaikwad 17, Gill 25) A maiden over for Sean Abbot and he should have had a wicket. A thin edge was served up by Gaikwad and Inglis was late to react behind the stumps and could only palm it round the post. A sharp chance but should have been grabbed.
7th over: India 43-0 (Gaikwad 17, Gill 25) Cummins changes his pace nicely to outfox Gaikwad, the batter left groping at thin air as the slower ball passes the edge. Singles to bookend the over.
This just caught my eye. I’ve never made a MEME in me life, is it a MEME or a GIF? Am I too old and tired to care? Yes.
Indian pace trio is in full form 🥵#IndvAus #CWC2023 pic.twitter.com/OOnUaQGfUA
— Rajabets 🇮🇳👑 (@smileagainraja) September 22, 2023
6th over: India 41-0 (Gaikwad 16, Gill 24) Surrey’s Sean Abbot (ahem) replaces Stoinis. His first over is a bit loosey-goosey and he’s picked off for eight runs, a deft late cut by Gaikwad for four the pick of them.
5th over: India 33-0 (Gaikwad 10, Gill 23) Cummins puts the brakes on with a tidy over, spearing the ball on an awkward length into the chest, there are just two singles off it. The toddler has been succesfully palmed off by the way, thank the lord for sister-in-laws who live just down the road. You now have my undivided attention.
4th over: India 31-0 (Gaikwad 9, Gill 22) In the words of the honey voiced and feather haired Mark Nicholas – ‘SIXAH! Gill pulls Stoinis with ease square of the wicket for a flat six. Gill then leans on a drive and the ball scoots away through extra-cover for another sublime boundary. Emphatic batting from India’s lissom limbed opener.
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3rd over: India 20-0 (Gaikwad 9, Gill 11) A deep purr goes round the ground and across my sofa as Gill plays a delicious back foot punch that traces away for four. Cummins’ handsome features crease into something akin to the proverbial Bulldog chewing a bumblebee. Confident start from India.
2nd over: India 13-0 (Gaikwad 7, Gill 6) Shubman Gill is one of the most aesthetically pleasing willow wielders you could wish to see. A couple of singles off Stoinis precede Gill standing on his tippy-toes and piercing the field at point to pick up his first boundary. The ball looks to be coming on nicely under lights, my gut says Australia don’t have enough. My gut has been wrong before. No further comment.
1st over: India 6-0 (Gaikwad 6, Gill 0) Cummins starts for Australia, a back of a length ball is clipped off the hip for two by Gaikwad and India are underway. Three dots from big Pat before a full ball is tickled fine for four. Six off the fist over. Marcus Stoinis is going to share the new nut.
Gaikwad and Gill stroll out to start the Indian innings. Here we go!
Thanks Megan and hello everyone. Do Australia have enough or are India going to cinch this target. There’s only one way to find out. The players are readying, I’m just going to hand over/palm off a sickly toddler but will be ready to roll for the start of the India response. Do get in touch and keep me company.
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Australia 276
A very up and down innings from Australia – there were times when they had definite ascendancy, but India took regular wickets and slowed the scoring rate at key times to maintain control of the match. Now we wait to see whether Australia has the bowling power to defend this total. There is some talk that this pitch gets easier to bat on in the evening and under lights, so that may spell trouble and goes some way to explaining why India chose to field even in that punishing heat. Cummins was sensational at the end, while Inglis and Stoinis also had good contributions late. It’s that period through the middle that Australia will be regretting however – with very slow scoring costing them the opportunity to put on a big total. Shami was excellent for India, finishing with 5-51 from his 10 overs and controlling the innings. Bumrah, Ashwin and Jadeja took one wicket each, but were also crucial in slowing the run rate.
I’m heading off now – I will leave you in the very capable hands of James Wallace to guide you through India’s batting innings.
50th over: Australia 276-10 (Cummins 21, Zampa 2) The last over of the day and Shardul has the ball. Zampa does his job and immediately gets Cummins on strike and Cummins repays his faith by steering one past third for four. There’s a review for caught behind on the next ball – the umpire isn’t interested at all, but Rahul is keen to review – they still have two reviews in hand in the final over, so I suppose they might as well. It’s ruled clearly not out though and Cummins lives to fight another day. The next ball he drives one for four through the covers. Some good quick running sees them get two from the penultimate ball. They go for three from the final ball and Zampa gets run out in the attempt.
WICKET! Australia 276-10 (Zampa ro Jadeja)
They try to dash through for a third run, but don’t quite make it and Zampa loses his wicket on the last ball.
49th over: Australia 263-9 (Cummins 9, Zampa 1) Shami finishes his day of bowling with a very good over, taking two wickets from it. Cummins claws some ascendancy back with a six off the final ball, but is it too little, too late?
WICKET! Australia 256-9 (Abbott b Shami 2)
Abbott falls to the slower ball from Shami, chopping on to lose his wicket very swiftly after arriving at the crease.
WICKET! Australia 254-8 (Short c Suryakumar b Shami 2)
Short connects with it well, but picks out the fielder and it’s not an ideal debut for him.
48th over: Australia 253-7 (Cummins 2, Short 2) Bumrah bowls his last over for the day and does the job he’s there for, getting the wicket of the set batter in Inglis. This brings the captain Cummins to the crease – let’s see if he has any magic to weave in these last few overs. He nearly departs very swiftly, chipping one high in the air, but Shreyas can’t get to the catch.
WICKET! Australia 250-7 (Inglis c Shreyas b Bumrah 45)
Inglis has to go hard, but he doesn’t quite get hold of one and it’s an easy catch for Shreyas.
47th over: Australia 250-6 (Inglis 45, Short 1) Shami returns and Stoinis moves his feet to create a boundary and then smacks one hard back over Shami’s head for a second consecutive four. He loses his wicket trying for a third and that brings debutant Matt Short to the crease.
WICKET! Australia 248-6 (Stoinis b Shami 29)
Just when Stoinis was getting going, he took his eye off the ball and it goes straight through him to slam into the stumps.
46th over: Australia 238-5 (Inglis 44, Stoinis 21) How quickly can Australia move? Will they be able to put on a defendable total from here? It hasn’t looked like a disastrous innings from them, but it also hasn’t looked overly convincing – it was very slow through the middle after the loss of Smith and Warner. Bumrah is bowling this over and he gets off to a good start, before Inglish opens his shoulders and absolutely blasts a shot over deep backwards square for six. He tries to do it again, but it catches the edge into his body and falls near his feet. Stoinis and Inglis have brought up their 50 partnership from 37 balls.
45th over: Australia 230-5 (Inglis 36, Stoinis 21) Jaedja returns for his final over of the day. It’s a pretty tight one, just four from it.
44th over: Australia 226-5 (Inglis 34, Stoinis 19) Shardul resumes and Inglis goes hard at him first ball, but it’s a big swing and miss. He tries again next ball and connects, but only with the toe and it falls just in front of him. Finally he gets an overpitched yorker and smacks it to the boundary over the covers. Next ball he hits a sensational pull shot for six – now they’re really starting to move. Shardul throws in a short ball and it does the trick in stemming the flow of runs.
43rd over: Australia 214-5 (Inglis 23, Stoinis 18) Jadeja returns and Stoinis starts with a single, then Inglis rotates the strike straight back again. Late in the over, Inglis joins in with the boundary game with a glorious cover drive for four.
42nd over: Australia 204-5 (Inglis 17, Stoinis 14) Shardul returns and Stoinis gets his second boundary – it doesn’t look as convincing as his first, but with the field up, he finds the gap well. He follows it up with another one off the next ball, but this one is much more powerful and looks like a boundary right from the moment it hits the bat. A much better over from Australia.
41st over: Australia 192-5 (Inglis 15, Stoinis 4) We’re into the third powerplay now and Australia are quickly running out of time to put on a defendable total. Stoinis and Inglis certainly have the ability to put on very quick runs, but will they be able to deliver under pressure here? Stoinis takes a couple of balls, but an overpitched yorker hands him the perfect opportunity and he gets off the mark with a boundary.
40th over: Australia 187-5 (Inglis 14, Stoinis 0) Shami continues with his spell and there is definitely intent from Inglis now, even if it’s not paying off in boundaries yet. Green’s run out comes off the back of another Rahul misfield – the Australians will be disappointed not to capitalise off that and to lose a wicket to boot.
WICKET! Australia 186-5 (Green ro Suryakumar 31)
A terrible mix up sees Green caught out – again it’s Inglis who isn’t on the ball, but it’s Green who pays the price with his wicket.
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39th over: Australia 184-4 (Inglis 12, Green 30) Bumrah is back and Inglis starts the over with a single. Green cuts one for four and then guides a single to third. There’s seven off that over, which is a decent acceleration from the pace these two have been going at.
38th over: Australia 177-4 (Inglis 10, Green 25) Shami continues with some good length balls, before Inglis finds one he likes and scoops one behind him for four. The run rate is starting to tick over, but will it tick fast enough?
37th over: Australia 171-4 (Inglis 5, Green 24) Ashwin’s final over for today and he starts it well with a good length ball to Inglis. He gets Green on strike and he lofts one very high in the air down the ground, but there are no fielders underneath it and it falls safely.
36th over: Australia 167-4 (Inglis 4, Green 21) A little bit of a miscommunication between the batters, Inglis isn’t on his toes when Green calls for a single. But they get through after all that. Rain disrupts the over, but finally we get to finish it. Inglis gets us back with – what else – a single! Green finishes with a defensive shot for no runs.
The sun is back out and the players are getting back on the field – we’re ready to go again!
The commentators are telling us things are clearing up and no one has umbrellas, so it looks like we should have play back on soon. The covers are starting to come off, which is always a good sign!
Rain delay: Australia 166-4
We can’t really see much on the broadcast, but there’s apparently a light shower and the covers have come out and the players have headed off the ground. Hopefully it’s just a quick shower and we’ll get some play back on soon!
35th over: Australia 165-4 (Inglis 3, Green 20) Inglis gets off strike immediately with a quick single and Green plays defensively to Ashwin for a couple before his own quick single. You’d assume Inglis has come in to accelerate the run rate, but he’s taking a little bit of time to work up to it.
34th over: Australia 163-4 (Inglis 2, Green 19) Shardul is bowling his sixth over and Green decides it’s time to go – after a couple of balls to settle in he throws his power behind a cut shot and sends it to the boundary. He tries a powerful pull shot a couple of balls later, but can’t quite time it.
33rd over: Australia 158-4 (Inglis 1, Green 15) Ashwin is bowling his eighth over and we have a review early on, which even the third umpire is confused by, he says “We’ve got a review for something” which doesn’t fill me with confidence, but he gets the decision right and Labuschagne is gone.
WICKET! Australia 157-4 (Labuschagne st Rahul b Ashwin 39)
The ball comes off Labuschagne’s glove, Rahul drops it, but it deflects on to the stumps and his foot is just outside his crease and he has to go.
32nd over: Australia 156-3 (Labuschagne 39, Green 14) A lot of scampering through for singles at the moment, but not a lot of smacking boundaries, which feels like it might be called for at about this time. Labuschagne is starting to look a little bit frustrated as even singles are hard to come by this over.
31st over: Australia 155-3 (Labuschagne 39, Green 13) OK, forget what I said about there being no sign of rain, it’s now looking much more like rain may be on the way. A strong wind has blown in and it’s looking much darker over the ground now. Will that change Australia’s strategy? They may want to pick up the pace if there’s a chance their innings could be cut short. There’s a run out attempt late in the over, but a desperate dive from Labuschagne sees him safe.
30th over: Australia 151-3 (Labuschagne 36, Green 12) A little cloud cover settling over now, but no real signs that rain is on the way. Ashwin returns for his seventh over after a short break and India start the over with another misfield to concede a single. Australia bring up the 150 from the second ball of the over.
29th over: Australia 148-3 (Labuschagne 34, Green 11) Labuschagne picks up the boundary this time, then follows it up with another to get the run rate moving along again after lagging for a few overs since the wickets of Smith and Warner.
28th over: Australia 137-3 (Labuschagne 24, Green 10) Green starts the Bumrah over by getting his first boundary of the match, just guiding the ball with a cut over deep backward point for four. Maybe he somehow heard me doubting his single-scoring strategy and decided to get a move on. Bumrah appeals for a caught behind off Green, but not only did he not hit it, it didn’t carry to the keeper, so it really couldn’t be less out. No other runs from that over after the initial boundary.
27th over: Australia 133-3 (Labuschagne 24, Green 6) Jadeja keeps on with his spell and both batters still seem content with singles at the moment – perhaps they will look to accelerate after the 30th over? Just two from that over.
26th over: Australia 131-3 (Labuschagne 23, Green 5) Bumrah returns for his fifth over of the day and there’s another misfield that helps Green and Labuschagne keep the runs ticking over.
25th over: Australia 126-3 (Labuschagne 19, Green 4) Another over for Jadeja and Labuschagne shows some intent first ball, but it’s just for a single. There’s an appeal for a stumping on the third ball, which is checked by the third umpire, but Labuschagne has his foot grounded the whole time. They have another appeal for a stumping on Green on the final ball of the over and they decide to let the third umpire have another go at getting involved, but once again the foot is grounded the whole time.
24th over: Australia 121-3 (Labuschagne 15, Green 3) We’re at the halfway point in Australia’s innings now and Shami comes on for another over – no surprises there, he has bowled excellently so far to get the wickets of Marsh and Smith. India are not looking overly sharp in the field, but perhaps that is down to the heat and humidity. Neither of these batters has got going yet, but they will want to pick up the scoring rate before too long and set a good platform.
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23rd over: Australia 118-3 (Labuschagne 13, Green 2) A HUGE comedy of errors this over – a mix up between the batters and it looks like Labuschagne is definitely out, but a village-like miss from Rahul at the stumps gives him a life. Will that be a moment that comes back to haunt India? Then a front foot no ball from Jadeja gives Labuschagne a free hit – he tries to smack it over the fence, but it falls well short. A very eventful over!
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22nd over: Australia 114-3 (Labuschagne 11, Green 1) Shami returns – hopefully refreshed after his earlier spell. Unfortunately that marks the end of cap club and Smith’s helmet goes back on. I guess Smith can wear his cap all he likes now as he heads back to the change rooms. The change of pace has worked for India and they get the breakthrough they wanted and now have two new batters at the crease. Green gets off the mark quickly to take the pressure off.
Updated
WICKET! Australia 112-3 (Smith b Shami 41)
The ball jags back off the seam and there’s very little Smith could have done to stop that. It knocks his stumps out and he has to go.
21st over: Australia 111-2 (Labuschagne 9, Smith 41) Jadeja resumes after the wicket of Warner in his previous over. Smith takes a single off the first ball to move into the 40s and they keep doing what they’re doing – taking singles and waiting for opportunities.
20th over: Australia 107-2 (Labuschagne 7, Smith 39) Labuschagne gets his first boundary, finding the gap off the first ball of the Ashwin over and keeping the ball safely on the ground. This is Ashwin’s sixth consecutive over. Labuschagne has settled in quickly and he and Smith continue to rotate the strike.
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19th over: Australia 101-2 (Labuschagne 2, Smith 38) Warner goes first ball of Jadeja’s second over, which brings Australia’s favourite buddy movie duo to the crease, as Labuschagne joins his bestie Smith to see what the two of them can do together. Labuschagne isn’t quite ready to join the cap gang yet though, he’s sticking with his helmet. The pair keep things settled with a few easy singles to bring the innings back under their control after the loss of their second wicket.
Updated
WICKET! Australia 98-2 (Warner c Gill b Jadeja 52)
Warner goes after one too many and doesn’t quite get hold of it. It’s an easy catch for Shubman Gill on the boundary.
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18th over: Australia 98-1 (Warner 52, Smith 37) Ashwin resumes and Smith likes what he sees and sends the first ball over cow corner for six. The second ball looks like it could bring about his demise as he tries to do it again, but it falls safely and he dials back the enthusiasm a touch. He plays a beautiful cut for four and these two are really putting on a great partnership. There’s an appeal for LBW on the second last ball of the over, but no one is too certain about it, least of all the umpire.
17th over: Australia 86-1 (Warner 51, Smith 26) Jadeja replaces Shardul at the Yuvraj Singh end and we have the delightful sight of both Smith and Warner batting in caps. They look like excited schoolboys – possibly because they are now much cooler after getting their helmets off.
16th over: Australia 82-1 (Warner 50, Smith 23) Ashwin bowls his fourth over and Smith has settled into his role of getting Warner on strike and gets him there so he can bring up his fifty.
FIFTY! David Warner
Warner brings up his 29th ODI fifty with minimal fanfare, it’s much too hot for celebrating.
15th over: Australia 78-1 (Warner 48, Smith 21) Warner starts the over with a four and then Shardul tries a short ball, but it’s way over Warner’s head and is called a wide. Warner flicks a neat one off his pads for another four and he’s flying now, comfortably into the 40s. We took drinks in the middle of that over, that’s how hot it is out there. Shardul was feeling the heat pretty badly and looked like he might not finish the over, but he’s refreshed enough to bowl the final two balls, albeit not convincingly.
14th over: Australia 63-1 (Warner 35, Smith 20) Ashwin continues his spell and Warner starts with a single to rotate the strike. Smith flicks for another single – plenty of momentum in keeping the strike moving now, with five singles from the over.
13th over: Australia 58-1 (Warner 32, Smith 18) Another over from Shardul and on the second ball of the over, Warner sends another one for six with a pull shot over the long boundary, bringing up the 50 partnership with Smith.
12th over: Australia 51-1 (Warner 25, Smith 18) Warner starts the over with the first six of the match with a strong pull shot to a full length ball. Ashwin adjusts his length and keeps Warner to four dots to follow the boundary. He finishes the over with an easy single to retain the strike.
11th over: Australia 44-1 (Warner 18, Smith 18) The powerplay is over now – it wasn’t a huge one for Australia after a slow start, but they’ll be happy to be only one wicket down, while India will feel satisfied with keeping the run rate down. Smith and Warner look to have a bit more intent after seeing off the opening bowlers, but have not fully opened up as yet.
10th over: Australia 42-1 (Warner 17, Smith 17) Aswin takes over from Bumrah at the Harbajhan Singh end. He starts with four dot balls, as Warner takes his time to get the feel for the rhythm of the spin, before guiding one almost to the boundary.
9th over: Australia 40-1 (Warner 15, Smith 17) Smith takes the first of his surely many glove changes for today before we get this over underway. Shardul takes over from Shami and Warner immediately likes what he sees and drives one hard down the ground for four. Shardul fights back with a ball seaming away that comes very close to the edge of Warner’s bat. Shardul then unleashes the first short ball of the day and Warner strides down the pitch to meet it and help it on its way to the boundary. It looks like Warner is gone from the last ball of the over, but Shreyas drops a fairly regulation catch and he gets a life.
8th over: Australia 31-1 (Warner 6, Smith 17) Shami has headed straight off the field for a little rest after bowling for overs straight and Bumrah resumes from the other end. He starts with three dots and then Smith unleashes and chips one over short midwicket for four.
7th over: Australia 27-1 (Warner 6, Smith 13) Shami continues, so there doesn’t seem to be too much interest in early rotations in this humidity. A couple of dots to start the over and then Smith sneaks a single from an inside edge. A good over from Shami, just the one from it.
6th over: Australia 26-1 (Warner 6, Smith 12) First run off Bumrah to start the over, with Smith into his rhythm now. Warner is taking a little longer to settle in. He throws his bat at an inswinger, but again he’s lucky to miss it and he follows it up by sending one high over slip to the boundary for four. The early nervy play after Marsh’s wicket is starting to slip away now.
5th over: Australia 19-1 (Warner 1, Smith 10) Shami to Warner again and he rotates the strike. Smith must have been waiting to face Shami, because he takes one ball to get his eye in and then sends one to the boundary for four with beautiful timing, then flicks for two and he’s building some momentum now.
4th over: Australia 9-1 (Warner 1, Smith 1) Bumrah resumes and Smith keeps up his defensive position to start the over. Australia are waiting for opportunities, but none are forthcoming just yet. Bumrah bowls his second consecutive maiden.
3rd over: Australia 9-1 (Warner 1, Smith 1) Shami continues his spell and Warner faces up. The first ball goes very close to the edge of Warner’s bat, but just misses it – it also goes past the keeper and to the boundary for four byes. There’s a bit of late movement, which surprised both Warner and Rahul. It’s another fairly defensive over, just the byes from it.
2nd over: Australia 5-1 (Warner 1, Smith 1) Bumrah brings his express pace to this match and starts to Smith, getting his outswinger going from ball one. There’s a little bit of an appeal from Rahul for a caught behind on the second ball of the over, but no one else is particularly interested. Smith is content to settle things down and get his eye in, he’s not trying to push the run rate up just yet. Bumrah is getting his line and length just right and Smith is playing defensively.
1st over: Australia 5-1 (Warner 1, Smith 1) Marsh and Warner opening today, Marsh looking for a strong start after a good series for him in South Africa. Shami takes the new ball for India. Marsh starts safely, playing a straight bat to the first ball. He drives the second ball through deep backward point for four and the first boundary of the match. But the next ball sees Marsh out and Smith comes to the crease.
WICKET! Australia 4-1 (Marsh c Gill b Shami 4)
An outswinger catches the edge of Marsh’s bat and he’s out early.
Both teams have selected quite flexible XIs, with a lot of bowling options. It will be interesting to see how many bowlers are used – especially as it is reportedly extremely hot and humid at the ground. Perhaps we will see rotations more like we’re used to in women’s cricket, where there are all-rounders aplenty. Lots of things to look out for, but the national anthems are happening, so it’s nearly time to get started.
These two teams have been pretty evenly matched over the past few years – they have played 23 games since 2017 and Australia leads that tally 13-10, so there’s not much in it.
It seems like Sean Abbott’s race against the clock was a successful one, with Abbott beating the clock by a considerable margin to be fit for today’s game after picking up some split webbing in the previous series. Matthew Short makes his ODI debut today after making his T20I debut in South Africa last month.
Two big inclusions and a debutant for Australia as India elect to bowl in the first ODI in Mohali!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) September 22, 2023
Watch every ball live on @FoxCricket and @kayosports from 6pm AEST.
Match centre: https://t.co/z8a1mjDUFQ pic.twitter.com/VZI83qf50x
India XI
Shubman Gill
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Sheryas Iyer
KL Rahul (c / wk)
Ishan Kishan
Suryakumar Yadav
Ravindra Jadeja
R Ashwin
Shardul Thakur
Jasprit Bumrah
Mohd Shami
12th: Tilak Varma
Updated
Australia XI
David Warner
Mitch Marsh
Steve Smith
Marnus Labuschagne
Cameron Green
Josh Inglis (wk)
Marcus Stoinis
Matthew Short
Pat Cummins (c)
Sean Abbott
Adam Zampa
12th: Aaron Hardie
India win the toss and bowl
Captain Rahul has won the toss and decided to bowl first at the IS Bindra Cricket Stadium.
We’ll get the team lists soon when the toss happens, but for now, let’s talk about form. India obviously comes into this game in scintillating form from the Asian Cup. They only lost one game in that tournament, which was one in which they rested some stars as the result didn’t matter for their campaign. They have played 18 ODIs so far this year, which I think we can all agree is a lot of ODIs – cricket’s weirdest format.
Australia on the other hand, has just come off that series in South Africa. In it, as my dad would say, they started like a house on fire and then burnt down. They have dropped to third in the ODI rankings, having been overtaken by none other than India. They lost the last three games on the trot and will be hoping to bounce back hard and find some form in this series. The squad welcomes back Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, which they will hope can provide the spark they need, especially after the loss of Travis Head, Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis to injury – all three are racing the clock to return for the World Cup.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to this delightful little ODI series, getting us all ready for the World Cup. With the weather in this part of the world really heating up lately it seems like the perfect time for cricket – I hope you’ve got some cricket appropriate weather where you are too.
Australia are preparing for their opening World Cup match against India by playing against India, which seems like ideal preparation in all honesty. In fact, in the next 16 days they will play India four times, so they will hopefully have the hang of it by the time they get to the end of that.
India are resting a few of their star players for the first two games of this series, so it won’t be a full strength side we see just yet, while Australia has some injury concerns coming off the series against South Africa. We’ll dig into both teams in just a minute.
Hopefully we’ve got ourselves a thrilling series coming up, so strap yourselves in and get ready for game one!
