Current Match Report – India vs Australia fifth Match 2023/24

India 201 for 4 (Rahul 97*, Kohli 85, Hazlewood 3-38) beat Australia 199 all out (Smith 46, Jadeja 3-28) by six wickets

The hosts and favourites for the 2023 World Cup are up and operating. However as medical as India’s six-wicket victory over Australia seems on paper, there was way more jeopardy out on the sector in Chennai.

Ravindra Jadeja’s exemplary 3 for 28 restricted Australia to 199, however the pursuit of a modest goal started with a traditionally unhealthy begin. India had been decreased to 2 for 3 – the primary time in ODIs three of their high 4 had been dismissed with out scoring; Mitchell Starc eliminated Ishan Kishan for a first-ball duck earlier than Josh Hazlewood’s double-wicket maiden snared captain Rohit Sharma lbw and Shreyas Iyer, caught tamely at brief cowl.However from the ruins rose Virat Kohli and KL Rahul – two of India’s “been there, finished that” world-beaters. A stand of 165 turned a problematic begin right into a cakewalk of a end. A lot in order that whereas Kohli fell for 85 – he was dropped on 12 – Rahul was in a position to manoeuvre himself right into a place for an outdoor shot at ODI century quantity seven.

With 91 to his identify and 5 left to get, a 4 and a six would have taken him to 3 figures. Alas, too candy a connection on a lofted drive off Pat Cummins cleared the boundary sponge at further cowl, ending the match and leaving the keeper-batter dismayed on 97 not out.

It was notably chastening for Australia for the match to finish in such one-sided circumstances. Cummins’ resolution to be the primary captain to win the toss and select to bat at this World Cup regarded optimistic, particularly because the second innings wore on and the ball stopped speaking.

Halzewood’s 3 for 38 ended up being the one plus level within the second half. However one imagines a lot of the post-match debrief will centre across the incapacity to fight the flip and nous of Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and R Ashwin.

Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Steven Smith with a ripper•Related Press

India’s spin amigos shared six wickets between themselves, instigating an inescapable chokehold epitomised by the 16.5 overs price of dot balls inside their collective 30. The management assumed all through the heart of Australia’s innings was primarily by Jadeja, who was launched within the twentieth. Australia had made a gentle begin earlier than an eight-over-straight spell of three for 38 from the Chennai Tremendous Kings stalwart on acquainted situations demolished these foundations.

Regardless of dropping opener Mitchell Marsh for a six-ball duck – edge discovered by Jasprit Bumrah, well-taken by Kohli tumbling to his left at first slip – David Warner was sometimes breezy, shifting previous 1000 ODI World Cup runs in simply his nineteenth innings, setting a brand new benchmark for the feat having finished so in a single knock fewer than Sachin Tendulkar and AB de Villiers.

A return catch for Kuldeep’s first of two dismissals ended his keep on 41, and a stand of 69 with Steven Smith, who himself made it to 46 earlier than dropping his off stump, overwhelmed on the skin edge and dropping his off stump. It was the primary of three wickets to fall within the area of 10 Jadeja deliveries.

Marnus Labuschagne was adjudged caught behind off a sweep, earlier than the Alex Carey lasted simply two deliveries earlier than behind adjudged lbw in entrance of center. Each batters took Australia’s two DRS opinions again to the dressing room.

At 119 for five, the onus fell on the final two remaining “full-time” batters Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Inexperienced to conjure a partnership of word. Maxwell was in a position to strike Jadeja by further cowl for the primary boundary in 73 deliveries, however an awry shot throughout the road to Kuldeep adopted by Inexperienced’s lazy reduce to backward level off Ashwin took the rating from 140 for five to 140 for 7 within the area of 4 balls.

Starc and Cummins had been valiant in pursuit of late runs; the latter hanging the primary six of the innings halfway by the fortieth over (Kuldeep heaved over deep sq. leg) earlier than the previous bashed the second over the identical area off Bumrah.

Starc can be the final to fall, holing out into the leg aspect to carry the innings to an in depth with three balls to go. However inside 4 balls of the restart, the left-arm fast had Kishan departing first ball, slashing to Inexperienced a primary slip.

Virat Kohli and KL Rahul piled up strain on Pat Cummins and Co•AFP/Getty Pictures

Hazlewood adopted along with his double-hit in his opening over and, identical to that, India’s activity regarded removed from tutorial. However the reality there was solely 197 to clear in 48 overs when Kohli and Rahul got here collectively meant no undue dangers wanted to be taken.

And but, India ought to have been 19 for 4 when a high edge from Kohli on 12 – hurried by a skiddy bouncer from Hazlewood – fell by the fingers of Marsh operating in from sq. leg after some miscommunication with Carey behind the stumps. Kohli then survived an edge previous his personal stumps off Cummins on 13.

Kohli was quickly again into his work, supreme by midwicket for back-to-back fours off Inexperienced – the primary simply his second boundary in 50 deliveries. The pair exchanged strike recurrently, till Rahul struck three fours – two advantageous of third, then a drive by cowl – to take 13 off Adam Zampa’s opening over to jump-start his innings.

That the legspinner was held again till the seventeenth over spoke of the lack of that early motion with the 2 new balls underneath lights, dissipating Australia’s incisiveness. By then, Starc had modified his angle to over the wicket to each right-handers, hoping to elicit both motion or a mistake off the straight.

Kohli would win the race to the half-century, whipping a Cummins bumper off his nostril to succeed in fifty for the 114th time in ODIs, off 75 balls. Quickly after the century stand was reached, Rahul sq. drove his 72nd supply for a sixteenth fifty within the format. ODI hundred quantity 48 regarded odds on for Kohli, solely to fall 15 brief when pulling Hazlewood straight to Labuschagne at midwicket. His walk-off urged a need to take the aspect house, however with 33 required off 74, the end line was in full view.

And so got here the dash end. Pandya charged Hazlewood to muller him over large lengthy off for India’s first six of the match. Rahul then adopted with the second within the subsequent over, planting Maxwell into the stands down the bottom.

Maybe a century for Rahul would have been the best of bows on knowledgeable opening win. So far as consolations go, sizeable pink ink and victory by 52 deliveries ought to greater than make up for it.

Vithushan Ehantharajah is an affiliate editor at ESPNcricinfo