[Watch] Mohammed Shami castles Steve Smith with an absolute corker in the IND vs AUS 1st ODI
Indian pacer Mohammed Shami produced a peach of delivery to remove Australian star Steve Smith for 41 in the first ODI at Mohali on Friday, September 22.
Shami, who played in only two of India's six games in the recently concluded Asia Cup, replaced the in-form Mohammed Siraj in the lineup.
The 33-year-old bowled an impressive first spell, claiming the prized scalp of dangerman Mitchell Marsh in the first over of the innings.
The pacer then returned for his second spell in the 22nd over, and the move paid rich dividends immediately with the dismissal of Smith in the third ball of the over. It was the fourth time Shami dismissed the former Australian captain in ODIs in 109 balls, with the batter averaging less than 30 against the Indian pacer.
The delivery bowled with a lovely seam position by Shami, nipped back in sharply from a good length as Smith went for an ambitious drive, only for the ball to get an inside edge onto his stumps. The off-stump went cartwheeling as Australia were reduced to 112/3.
Here is a video of the jaffa produced by Shami to dismiss Smith:
Smith was making a return to competitive cricket after missing the entire white-ball series in South Africa due to a wrist injury.
India were jubilant to see the back of the 34-year-old who has been a thorn in their side over the years. Smith averages over 56 against the Men in Blue in 25 ODI games, with five of his 12 centuries coming against them.
Following the early dismissal of Mitchell Marsh, David Warner and Steve Smith added 94 for the second wicket before the former fell for 52 off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja.
Despite losing Smith soon after, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green are currently involved in an unbeaten 42-run partnership to propel Australia to 155/3 in 31 overs (at the time of writing).
Team India look to avenge their ODI series defeat to Australia in March
The India-Australia has been arguably the most evenly matched in recent times, with both sides showcasing the ability to win matches and series away from home.
While the overall head-to-head numbers in ODIs still favor the Aussies 82-54, recent matchups have tilted more toward Team India, who holds a 13-10 edge in the last 23 meetings since 2017.
However, the recent meeting between the sides swung Australia's way, with the Men in Yellow pulling off a 2-1 victory in India earlier this year. Despite losing the first game in Mumbai, the Aussies rallied to win the next two at Vishakapatnam and Chennai to clinch the series.
While the ongoing series is seen as a preparation for the home World Cup, Team India will look to avenge defeat in the previous series.
Since the turn of the century, the two teams have also gone toe to toe in World Cup meetings, with Australia winning three and India two in five matchups.
They will face each other in their respective openers of the upcoming World Cup in Chennai on October 8.