Australia vs India ODI Series: 4 Reasons why India won the first ODI
The Indian cricket team began the five match One Day International series on a positive note with a six-wicket win over Australia at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Saturday. A disciplined effort by the Indian bowlers restricted the Australian team to a modest 236 for 7.
Despite losing four wickets for 99 runs, MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav's brilliant unbeaten partnership of 141 runs helped Team India win the match by six wickets and 10 balls to spare. This was the Indian team's last match before the 2019 World Cup.
Before this series, the Indian team won the ODI series in New Zealand, 4-1 and then won the three match series on Australian soil, 2-1; with Hardik Pandya ruled out of the ODI series against Australia due to an injury. The BCCI announced the Indian team for only the first two matches, with the team for the remaining three matches to be announced later.
With almost 12 players guaranteed to make it to the World Cup, this series provides a chance for other players to stake their claim for 2019 World Cup squad.
Here we look at the 4 reasons why India won the first ODI.
#1: Dismissing Australian captain Aaron Finch cheaply
The Australian captain Aaron Finch won the toss and decided to bat first in the first ODI. It was a dream start for the Indian team as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed him for 0 in the second over. In the 2019 ODI series against India at home, Aaron Finch did not score many runs and his poor form continued. He also was disappointing in two matches in the T20 series in the ongoing tour.
The Indian bowlers kept a lid on the scoring as Australia scored just 38 for one in the first 10 overs. Marcus Stoinis and Usman Khawaja could not put pressure on Indian bowling line up, even as the pitch proved difficult for stroke making.