Australia is closing in on victory against India in the first ODI at Perth’s Optus Stadium, with the home side needing just 56 runs off 81 balls to win.
Chasing a modest target of 131 in 26 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, Australia reached 75 for 2 in 12.3 overs, thanks to a solid partnership between Josh Philippe and captain Mitchell Marsh.
Earlier, India struggled to put up a competitive total as they managed only 136 for 9 in their 26 overs after persistent rain shortened the game.
The Indian top order, featuring the returning stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, failed to make an impression as both were dismissed cheaply, exposing the middle order early in the innings. Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav attempted to stabilize the innings, but Australia’s disciplined bowling kept constant pressure on the visitors.
Australian pacers, led by Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, bowled with precision and extracted movement off the pitch, making run-scoring difficult. India’s lower order added a few crucial runs to take the total past 130, but it was far from a par score on a fresh Perth surface offering bounce and pace.
In reply, Australia lost Matthew Short and Travis Head early but recovered through Philippe’s aggressive stroke play and Marsh’s composed batting. The duo rotated the strike well and punished loose deliveries to maintain a healthy scoring rate.
Axar Patel provided India’s only real breakthrough with a tidy spell, but with wickets in hand and favorable conditions, Australia remains firm favorites to go 1–0 up in the three-match series.
The match has set the tone for a competitive series, with India looking to bounce back in the next encounter to keep the contest alive.
India: Rohit Sharma; Shubman Gill (c); Virat Kohli; Shreyas Iyer; KL Rahul (wk); Axar Patel; Washington Sundar; Nitish Kumar Reddy; Harshit Rana; Mohammed Siraj; Arshdeep Singh.
Australia: Travis Head; Mitchell Marsh (c); Matthew Short; Josh Philippe (wk); Matt Renshaw; Cooper Connolly; Mitchell Owen; Mitchell Starc; Nathan Ellis; Matthew Kuhnemann; Josh Hazlewood.
