Australia have beaten India in the first of their three-match ODI series by 7 wickets.
With the match reduced to 26 overs per side due to several rain interruptions, India finished on 136 for 9. According to the DLS method, Australia had been given a target of 131 runs, which they chased with relative ease.
The hosts now lead the series 1-0, with the remaining fixtures set to take place in Adelaide, on October 23, and Sydney, on October 25, 2025.
IND vs AUS: India Crawl Past 130 In First Innings
Australia’s bowlers capitalized on the conditions after winning the toss and choosing to bowl.
They dismantled India’s top order early. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for 8, Virat Kohli fell without scoring, while captain Shubman Gill managed just 10, and Shreyas Iyer added 11.
In a rain-disrupted contest, India endured a stop-start innings and struggled to gain momentum. Persistent weather interruptions hampered their rhythm, and the batters found it difficult to settle, ultimately posting a total that fell slightly short of expectations.
Despite that and early setbacks, Axar Patel played a crucial hand with a resilient 31, forging a steady partnership with KL Rahul, who contributed a composed 38.
Their efforts added some much-needed stability and helped India avert a complete collapse, capped off by a Nitish Kumar Reddy cameo, that took the total past 130.
Captain Marsh Dictates The Chase
Despite the early departure of Travis Head at the hands of Arshdeep Singh, Mitchell Marsh looked unfazed on the other end, scoring boundaries and rotating the strike regularly.
Him and Matt Short somewhat made for a partnership up-front, in which most of the contribution came from Marsh. The latter would be dismissed at just 8 runs by Axar Patel, rendering the score 44/2.
It was then up to the captain and Josh Philippe, who took things in their stride at a steady pace during the middle-overs.
Philippe would not stick around till the end, but the job was pretty much done by the time he left, scoring vital 37 runs. Mitchell Marsh (46) and Matt Renshaw (21) finished the game at the 21.1 over mark.
