India began their home World Cup campaign with a six-wicket win against Australia, thanks to strong performances from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul in a challenging run chase.
Although India’s spin-heavy bowling attack had earlier restricted Australia to a modest total of 199, India’s batting start was far from ideal, with three of their top four batsmen dismissed for ducks within the first two overs—an unprecedented situation for India in an ODI.
Mitchell Marsh dropped Virat Kohli’s catch when he was on 12 and Kohli went on to score 85 runs, playing a crucial role in steering India towards victory. KL Rahul, Kohli’s partner in a 165-run fourth-wicket partnership, remained unbeaten on 97 as India reached the target in 41.2 overs.
India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, acknowledged the shaky start but credited the Australian team for their efforts. Australia, on the other hand, would be disappointed with their batting performance, as none of their batsmen managed to reach the fifty-run mark, despite decent starts by David Warner (41) and Steve Smith (46).
Kohli also took a sharp catch in the slip to dismiss Mitchell Marsh for a duck early in Australia’s innings. India’s spin attack, featuring Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, put pressure on the Australian batsmen, with Kuldeep breaking a crucial partnership and Jadeja taking key wickets in the middle order.
Australia struggled to build a substantial total, with Mitchell Starc providing some late impetus with a cameo of 28 runs. Defending a modest target, Australia’s pace bowlers, led by Josh Hazlewood, made early inroads into India’s batting lineup.
However, Kohli’s resilience and Rahul’s steady performance guided India to victory. Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, acknowledged that they were at least 50 runs short and found it challenging to defend 200 on the pitch.
