Mohali, Sep 22 (IANS): Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad hit fifties at the top, followed by captain KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav notching up half-centuries in guiding India to five-wicket win over Australia in the ODI series opener, here at PCA Stadium on Friday.
After veteran fast-bowler Mohammed Shami bagged the second five-for of his ODI career and propelled India to bowl out Australia for 276, the pitch seemed to have eased out a bit in the second innings, making the path of taking a 1-0 lead easier for the hosts.
In the chase, Gill and Gaikwad combined to share a stand of 142 runs for the opening wicket. Gill, playing his first international match at home, made 74 off 63 balls while Gaikwad scored 77-ball 71, also his first ODI fifty.
After the duo followed by Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan fell, Rahul stepped up under pressure yet again, scoring a 63-ball 58, with four boundaries and a match-winning lofted six to seal a clinical win with eight balls to spare.
What would have greatly pleased the team management was the restraint in shot-selection and calmness in the situation shown by Suryakumar, while making a 49-ball 50, a much-needed third half-century in the format to ease questions on his 50-over adaptability.
More to follow…
Brief Scores: Australia 276 (David Warner 52, Josh Inglis 45; Mohammed Shami 5-51, Jasprit Bumrah 1-43) lost to India 281/5 in 48.4 overs (Shubman Gill 74, Ruturaj Gaikwad 71; Adam Zampa 2-57, Pat Cummins 1-44) by five wickets