IND vs AUS ODI Series: India draw first blood in Pre-World Cup showdown; Gill, Shami shine

India’s second-string ODI squad started the three-match ODI serieson a high as they got the better of Australia in Mohali on Friday, September 22. Riding on a good bowling show from Mohammed Shami and Shubman Gill’s brilliant knock at the top, the Men in Blue registered a five-wicket win against Australia to go 1-0 in the series. The contest also saw Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, and Ruturaj Gaikwad star with respective fifties.

India start on high

Asked to chase 277, the Indian team started with all guns blazing as Gaikwad and Gill set a perfect platform for the middle order. The pair stitched a 142-run stand for the opening wicket before Gaikwad was dismissed on 71 off 77 deliveries. Shreyas Iyer, having seen limited chances at the Asia Cup failed to make the most of his opportunity and was dismissed for three. While Gill looked good for another hundred, he failed to capitalise on the start and was bowled by Adam Zampa for 74.

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However, the quick wickets did not open any doors for Australia as stand-in skipper KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav (50) put in an impressive 80 runs for the fifth wicket. Suryakumar was dismissed immediately after getting to his fifty while Rahul hit the winning runs as he remained unbeaten on 58. His six secured the match for India in an impressive one-sided chase for the hosts.

For Australia, Zampa scalped two wickets while Pat Cummins and Sean Abbott ended with one wicket each.

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Shami impresses with ball

Earlier, Mohammed Shami was the centre of attraction for India with the ball as he scalped five wickets. Shami was the pick of bowlers as he picked wickets at regular intervals while Australia got off to a decent start. David Warner was the highest scorer for Australia with 52 runs while there were starts for Steven Smith (39) and Josh Inglis (45). They managed to score 276 in the 50 overs, losing all ten wickets. There were wickets a piece for Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, and Ravichandran Ashwin. The latter was making his first appearance in ODIs on home turf since 2017 and first overall since 2021.

The two teams will next meet on Sunday, September 24 with India standing an opportunity to win the series. The two teams are also scheduled to meet in the third ODI on September 27, while the biggest meeting will come in the ODI World Cup. The World Cup meeting will take place on Sunday, October 8 in Chennai.

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