3 players who starred and 2 who flopped for India in the 1st ODI vs Australia ft. Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav
Team India took an early lead in the three-match series against Australia as they clinched the first ODI by five wickets with eight balls to spare in Mohali on Friday, September 22.
The hosts, who are without Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav for the first two matches, had a productive outing at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium that enhanced their preparations for the World Cup 2023. Most of their players came up with impressive performances, but a couple had tough outings.
Here are three players who starred and two who flopped for Team India in the first ODI against Australia.
#5 Star - Suryakumar Yadav
When Ishan Kishan was dismissed in the 33rd over, India needed 92 runs in tricky conditions and were also without Hardik Pandya, who usually finds himself at No. 6 in the ODI playing XI. They needed someone to step up in Hardik's absence, and that's just what Suryakumar Yadav did.
Under pressure after a prolonged lean run in the format, Suryakumar dug deep to come up with a much-needed half-century. He abandoned the sweep that brought about his downfall in the Asia Cup 2023 and played a series of delightful straight drives.
SKY hit five fours and a six in his knock, which was one of the main reasons why India got over the line with ease.
#4 Flop - Shardul Thakur
Shardul Thakur has been India's first choice to bat at No. 8 and bowl a few overs, but the all-rounder has matches where he looks completely off the pace. The first ODI against Australia was one of those games.
Thakur was unlucky to see Shreyas Iyer drop a simple catch in his first over, but his lines and lengths were all over the place. At some points, it seemed like he was bowling the exact opposite of what his field demanded. The fast bowler ended up leaking 11 fours and two sixes, with the Aussies taking 78 runs off his 10 overs.
For context, no other Indian bowler had an economy rate over 5.1. Thakur has been an excellent wicket-taker for the Men in Blue in ODIs, but performance like this won't help his case to be part of the first-choice XI. Especially when...
#3 Star - Mohammed Shami
Mohammed Shami's ODI numbers over the last few years haven't been too impressive, but he has come up with some meaningful displays over the past month.
In the first ODI against Australia, Shami was the pick of the Indian bowlers. He bowled four overs in an energy-sapping opening spell, prising out Mitchell Marsh in the very first over.
Shami then returned to bowl a penetrative spell in the middle overs, where he has an underrated record, and castled Steve Smith with one that jagged back in and zoned in on the stumps. He picked up three more scalps towards the end of the visitors' innings.
Should Shami be fielded in tandem with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj? It's certainly up for debate.
#2 Flop - Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer desperately needed a good performance in the first ODI, with the batter running out of time to make the No. 4 spot his own again following his return from injury.
Unfortunately, though, everything that could go wrong for Shreyas went wrong. He dropped a straightforward catch, and although he threw himself about for the rest of the innings, his day didn't get any better.
Shreyas then came in at No. 3 and tried to make the most of the foundation laid by the openers, but set off for a non-existent single to be run out for just three. His dismissal gave Australia a foothold to get back into the contest.
More importantly, Shreyas failing to score runs didn't help India's World Cup selection dilemmas as they will find it difficult to include the batter ahead of the likes of Kishan if he doesn't make any meaningful contributions.
#1 Star - Ruturaj Gaikwad
Handed a chance to open the batting for the first time in his ODI career, Ruturaj Gaikwad grabbed it with both hands and finally made a mark on his favorite format.
Gaikwad was helped by a quick start from opening partner Shubman Gill, but he wasn't too far behind. He pierced the off-side field with surgical precision and was assured against both pace and spin to notch up his maiden ODI half-century, hopefully the first of many.
Gaikwad hit 10 fours in his classy knock, which served as a clear reminder of the immense talent India have on the bench in ODIs. The opener was eventually trapped in front for 71, but not before he made a real impression with his strokeplay.