INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: An all-round India eased past a formidable Australia by five wickets in the series opener in Mohali to script a rare rankings
With the comfortable win, not only India took a 1-0 series lead, the team also became the no.1 ODI side in the latest ICC rankings
Already at the numero uno spot in the Test and T20I formats, India achieved a rare feat, becoming the top-ranked side across all three
Before the start of the series, India were tied with arch-rivals Pakistan at 115 points in ODIs but a win today has taken India a point
clear in the 50-over format.The architects of India's win were pacer Mohammed Shami and the young openers Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad,
who played impactful knocks to set up the win
After a Shami fifer restricted a batting-heavy Australia to 276 all out, new opening pair of Gill and Ruturaj shared a massive 142-run
Stand-in skipper KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav too hit crucial half-centuries as India chased down the total with 8 balls to spare.Here's a
look at the key moments of the series opener at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali
Early Marsh blow and a 94-run standAs India won the toss and opted to bowl, Shami got the hosts off to a perfect start, dismissing dangerous
Mitchell Marsh four balls into the contest
With a wicket down in the first over itself, Australia's most experienced batters David Warner and Steve Smith joined hands to stitch a
terrific second-wicket partnership
The duo added 94 runs, stabilised the innings and laid a solid platform for their side
Scoring at the quick rate as well, the Warner-Smith partnership came off just 106 balls with Warner (52) getting to his 29th ODI fifty amid
However, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja eventually broke the threatening stand, removing Warner soon after his fifty in the 19th over.Quick
wickets peg back Australia but middle-order fights backWith Jadeja managing to break the solid second wicket stand, it opened the door for
India grabbed the chance with both hands as Smith soon joined Warner back to the pavilion
Shami came back into the attack and knocked over Smith for 41, India now had two wickets in quick succession
The bowlers then bowled tight lines in the middle overs to restrict Australia's scoring
Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green did manage a 45-run stand but looked a bit jittery in the middle
While the India fielders were a bit sloppy, luck did go their way when Labuschagne suffered an unfortunate stumping in the 33rd over
Labuschagne tried to reverse sweep Ashwin, but the ball hit keeper KL Rahul's pad and went on to hit the stumps with the batter's backfoot
After the fall of Labuschagne, there was another brief stand but a really bad mix-up between Green and Josh Inglis cost the former his
With loss of wickets at regular intervals, Australia were 186 for 5 in the 40th over and were in desperate need of a partnership when
all-rounder Marcus Stoinis arrived in the middle
With his counterattacking strokeplay, Stoinis alongside with Inglis tried to put pressure back on India
As boundaries came thick and fast, both quickly raised a 62-run stand but Shami came back and got rid of a dangerous-looking Stoinis for 29
In the very next over, Jasprit Bumrah deceived Inglis and the Aussie keeper departed for a well-made run-a-ball 45.Shami fifer and Cummins
cameoLooking to up the scoring rate, as Australia lost set Stoinis and Inglis, Shami then ran through the lower order with two quick wickets
Dismissing Matthew Short and Sean Abbott for 2 and 2 respectively, Shami registered his best ever figures of 5/51 in the format
With the fifer, Shami (37) also became the second most successful bowler after legendary Kapil Dev (45) against Australia in ODIs
With Australia staring at an all out situation, skipper Pat Cummins got in a few boundaries taking Australia to a competitive total
His 9-ball 21 cameo provided the finishing touches before the last man Adam Zampa got run out off the final ball of the innings.The perfect
startChasing a competitive total, India's new opening pair of Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad got off to a perfect start
In the form of his life, Gill began aggressively in the chase while Ruturaj, who will be leading the Indian team in the Asian Games, too
As the duo got going, boundaries flew thick and fast for the hosts inside the first Powerplay
The duo added 66 runs in the first 10 overs, setting the tone for the chase
Taking on the Australian bowlers, both continued with their aggressive approach, helping India cross the 100-run park in the 16th over
In the process, Gill got to his 9th ODI fifty off just 37 balls, Ruturaj too followed him soon, raising his bat for the first time in ODIs
As the duo kept on going, Australians looked absolutely clueless
But then Adam Zampa provided the much-needed breakthrough, trapping Ruturaj with a slider in the 22nd over
By the time Ruturaj fell, India had 142 runs on the board.The wobbleWith the openers adding 142 runs at the top, the chase looked like a
But the relentless Aussies, soon after Ruturaj fell, pounced onto the opportunity and struck multiple times in a very short span of time
One over after Ruturaj's dismissal, comeback man Shreyas Iyer (3) threw away his wicket, calling out for an impossible run
Set Shubman too made the long walk back for 74 an over after Iyer's dismissal as he missed a slider from Zampa
From 142 for 0, India were now 151 for 3 in the 26th over
With a partnership needed to steady the wobble, skipper KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan joined hands and moved forward cautiously
Ishan did try to hit occasional boundaries but Rahul was focussed more on rotating the strike
However, after a brief recovery, Cummins returned to remove Ishan for 28 in the 33rd over with India under 100 runs away from the
target.Rahul, Surya take India homeWhen Ishan fell, India were still 92 runs away from target and the Australians had their tails up but
experienced batters KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav understood the situation perfectly and just didn't take any risks
With the asking rate below 6 RPO, both focussed on rotation of strike along with putting away the occasional bad balls
With the two batters not taking any risks, they kept the Australian bowlers at bay
Wickets were the only solution for Australia to make a comeback but Rahul and Surya ensured there were no further hiccups
Under-pressure Surya, who was under the pump for his below-par batting performances in the ODIs, stepped up to the occasion, playing a
As the duo added 80 runs for the fifth wicket, Surya notched up his 3rd ODI fifty off 47 balls
But soon after his fifty, Surya played a rash shot and got out
But by the time Surya departed India were close to the finish line
Rahul ensured he took India home safely from there
Raising his 14th fifty, Rahul (58 not out) along with Ravindra Jadeja (3 not out) took India home with 8 balls to spare.
