IND vs AUS: India beat Australia by 5 wickets to take 1-0 lead in 3-match series

India began the series with a remarkable victory over Australia in a three-match ODI series, just two weeks before the highly anticipated ODI World Cup. Earlier today, India won the toss and chose to bowl first at the PCA stadium in Mohali. The champions of the Asia Cup needed to showcase their strength to maintain their winning streak before the World Cup.

Mohammed Shami made an early breakthrough by dismissing the in-form batsman Mitchell Marsh for four runs. Subsequently, David Warner and Steve Smith formed a partnership of 94 runs for the second wicket. However, Warner was later dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja, followed shortly by Smith’s dismissal.

Afterwards, the rest of the Australian batsmen fell in quick succession. Marnus Labuschagne (39), Cameron Green (31), and Josh Inglis (45) played promising innings, but none were able to convert their starts into big scores. With Australia losing wickets at regular intervals and India taking wickets consistently, Australia was bowled out for 276 at the end of their 50 overs.

Mohammed Shami was exceptional with the ball for India, achieving a five-wicket haul with an impressive performance of 5/51 in his 10 overs. This marked his second career five-wicket haul.

In response to Australia’s 276, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shubman Gill established a solid 142-run opening partnership. Gaikwad scored 71 runs before being dismissed by Adam Zampa, while Gill was also soon removed by Zampa after scoring 74 runs. India experienced a quick loss of wickets in the middle overs, but skipper KL Rahul, along with Surya Kumar Yadav, steadied the innings by adding an 80-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Both the batters achieved impressive half-centuries; Suryakumar was dismissed shortly after reaching his fifty, and KL Rahul elegantly finished the match with a six to secure victory. He remained unbeaten on 58* as India took a 1-0 lead in the series.