Australian fans are wondering what happened after their team took three early wickets from India in their one-day cricket match on the weekend. India won the toss and elected to bat first in the match played between India and Australia at Chepauk, Chennai. The Indians were struggling at 10 runs for 3 wickets and lost another wicket for 86 runs. Things changed though and the Indian team finished on 281/7 in the stipulated fifty over match.
The match was taken away by Dhoni and pandya. Rain meant the officials applied the Duckworth Lewis principle and the target for Australia to chase was 164 runs in 21 overs but the Indians bowled them all out for 137/9
Dhoni, Pandya wades into Australia
Austalia's captain was struggling to take the wickets from the Indian middle order Kedar, Dhoni and Hardik. Hardik managed to prove himself to be a whirlwind of hard drives as he calmly managed to dispatch the Australian bowling all around the park.
The Australian bowlers did not seem to have an answer for the superb batting from the Indian side and Hardik was the first to reach a well-deserved half-century.
Dhoni was not far behind as he became the fourth Indian batsmen to record 100 half centuries in the international arena when he scored a well deserved 79 runs. Recently Dhoni had reached the land mark of 100 stumpings in the 1 day series against Sri Lanka. Bearing in mind that there have been a number of calls from the media for Dhoni to retire, his fans will be thrilled with his performance this weekend as he proved himself a wonderful and exciting cricketer with a lot to offer in the service of his country's cricket despite the critics.
Pandya is becoming the finisher that India was looking for and he has all the credentials to become a powerful all rounder in limited over’s games.
Pandya, Dhoni combination finishes Australia
Australia was given a revised target of 161 runs to be chased down in 21 overs and Pandya stole the limelight with the ball. Maxwell, Faulkner and Warner contributed well with the bat but Australia was not in a position to consolidate a partnership.
The combination of Indian spinners along with the input given by Dhoni ensured that the runs failed to materialise for the Australians. Australia needs more contribution from their all rounder’s to make an impact in the remaining part of the series.
The first one-day match of the series was not great for either of the captains with the bat but Virat had the last laugh as his applied tactical acumen paid off and highlighted his excellent captaincy. Australia needs to improve playing against spin bowlers and they need to reassess their strategy.