India Outplay Australia in World Cup Opener, Kohli and Rahul Shine
Hosts Win by Six Wickets, Crowd Roars India On
Rows of empty seats in the previous games had damaged the hosts' reputation, but a match-winning combination between Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, together with a nearly full stadium roaring India on to victory in their campaign opener, will hopefully breathe new life into the present World Cup.
Team India ensured the MA Chidambaram Stadium audience left happy as they overcame Australia by six wickets, opening their Cup journey with a win with 52 balls to spare following a little wobble after an outstanding showing with the ball in hot and muggy conditions.
After the tourists won the toss and decided to bat, Australia was dismissed for 199 thanks in large part to the bowling of India's spin combination of Ravindra Jadeja (3/28), Kuldeep Yadav (2/42) and Ravichandran Ashwin (1/34) on a two-paced wicket where shot-making was difficult and spinners received some help. Jasprit Bumrah (2/35) also performed admirably, particularly since his deft away movement allowed him to eliminate Mitch Marsh first up.
Ishan Kishan, who opened for Shubman Gill, who was out, and Shreyas Iyer, who came in at No. 4, both made terrible shot choices, leaving India, chasing 200, three down with only two runs on the board halfway through the second over.
while Marsh messed up Kohli's mishit straight up while he was on 12, Kohli was also heartbroken. The partisan crowd exhaled in relief as the spinner Josh Hazlewood, who had earlier picked up the skipper Rohit Sharma and Iyer, could only gaze in frustration.
Australia would undoubtedly have been able to apply more pressure while defending a modest total if not for that missed opportunity.
After that reprieve, Kohli (85) had to fight through attrition while also displaying patience and composure in order to surpass Sachin Tendulkar and become India's all-time leading scorer in ICC (ODI) competitions. One must commend the former India captain for concentrating on stifling the opposing bowling attack.
A dependable Rahul (97 not out), who has been steady since making a full recovery from an injury, eased Kohli's burden and kept him composed. He contributed to increasing the strain on the Australian bowlers. Additionally, Rahul demonstrated accuracy in his takedown of Adam Zampa, Australia's lone specialist spinner, who was pedestrian at the time.
On this pitch, it was strictly forbidden to hit through the line. Importantly, in their big 165-run fourth-wicket partnership, Kohli and Rahul seldom even tried that.
Captain Rohit praised Kohli and Rahul for their efforts, though he acknowledged being "nervous" at the start of the chase. He stated, "Hats off to Virat and KL."
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