India won the toss and elected to bowl first against Australia in the opening one-day international (ODI) match at Wankhede Stadium today. As regular captain Rohit Sharma is missing owing to family obligations, vice-captain Hardik Pandya has assumed leadership responsibilities.
Indian bowlers were on fire as they bowled out Australia for 188 runs in their allocated 50 overs. Regarding wickets, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj’s fast bowling combo was unmatched. Ravindra Jadeja, an all-around player, helped by picking up two wickets. Mitchell Marsh, who has been in fine form recently, provided the visitors’ last hope by scoring an outstanding 81 off of only 65 deliveries.
India has a solid chance to grab a 1-0 lead in the three-match series if they chase a score of 189. Given their potent batting lineup, they’ll be hoping to knock the target down in rapid order and put the onus back on the away team.
However, having lost 3 wickets early (with Mitchell Starc accounting for two), the path ahead seems daunting for the Indian team.
The score at the time of writing this piece was India at 28 for the fall of 3 wickets at the end of 8 overs. They still need 161 runs to chase down the Australian total of 188.
