India vs Australia 2019: Important takeaways from the 1st ODI
The first ODI between India and Australia at Hyderabad ended with the hosts winning the match by six wickets. Australia won the toss and opted to bat first. The visitors were able to post a decent 236/7 in 50.0 overs. It took 48.2 overs for India to get the job done.
Team India scored the required runs with the help of a very strong partnership between the former captain MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav. Jadhav was adjudged the Man of the Match for his wonderful batting and bowling performance.
Through this match, India returned to their winning ways after a dismal T20I series loss to the visitors. There were a few interesting takeaways from this match.
#1 Shikhar Dhawan's weakness against left-arm pace
This had been a topic of discussion for a while. Shikhar Dhawan seems to struggle against left-arm pacers more and more as the World Cup approaches. In the ODIs, he played so far in 2019 Dhawan has been dismissed by left-arm pacers for a total six times.
Trent Boult alone dismissed him four times in 68 balls. Gabbar has faced just 14 balls from Jason Behrendorff but has got out two times now. He needs to solve this problem as soon as possible as it might hurt him in the future.
Dhawan is a certainty in the World Cup playing XI. This weakness would have gotten the attention of his opponent teams. The opener needs to find a solution to sort this out before the tournament as his wicket would be crucial.
#2 The strength of Chennai Super Kings' finishing batsmen
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav showed some sensible batting in the match. The pair accumulated 141* runs together. Jadhav got 81 runs from 87 balls with 9 fours and one six, at a strike-rate of 93.10. Dhoni, on the other hand, notched up 59 runs from 72 balls with 6 fours and one six, at a strike-rate of 81.94.
Jadhav has evolved well as a finisher over the years. As far as Dhoni is concerned. the classic finisher is piling up the arguments to back his form. He has scored four successive half-centuries against Australia in 2019, including this match. He is certainly making a statement ahead of what will possibly be his last World Cup.
These two also play for the Chennai Super Kings. Strong partnerships like this in crunch situations during IPL would be reassuring for the fans and the management.
#3 Virat's rise as a captain and Australia's fall
Virat Kohli is becoming a very successful captain for India. He joins the elite list of Ricky Ponting, Clive Llyod, Vivan Richards, and Hansie Cronje for the most wins after 64 ODIs as captain. Virat Kohli has won 48 out of 64 ODIs as a captain now. He is right behind Ricky Ponting and Clive Lloyd with a difference of just 3 wins.
Kohli's rise to the top comes at an expense of a very unfortunate Australian team. Aussie fans are certainly missing his nemesis, and Fab 4 counterpart, Steve Smith, more than ever. Finch managed to win the T20I series successfully, but the replacement captain has a lot more work to get done. The upcoming matches will test his fighting spirit as a captain.
What do you think about the result of the 1st ODI between India and Australia? Comment your opinion below.