Team India were given a reality check at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday after they were heavily punished by the Aussies in the first ODI. After bowling India all out for just 255, the opening duo of Aaron Finch and David Warner smashed unbeaten hundreds to chase down the target with all 10 wickets and 12 overs to spare. It was an absolute embarrassment to the Indians, one that they have not been accustomed to of late.
The fast bowling attack of Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur and Mohammad Shami all took a beating, and though Kuldeep Yadav, the spinner, fared slightly better, he too was unable to bag home a wicket.
Finch set the ball rolling for the visitors, dominating the opening overs as Warner at the other end looked to get into his groove. However, once the left-hander got going, there was no looking back for him either. He became the fastest Australian to cross the 5,000-run mark in ODIs, as the pair notched up 84 off the first ten overs. Finch and Warner settled down in the middle overs, eager to translate their start into a big one, which is exactly what they did, smashing unbeaten tons to help Australia take a crucial 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Earlier, the Indian batting unit experimented with their line-up, sending KL Rahul in at number three after Rohit Sharma was dismissed cheaply. Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul got together brilliantly and laid a solid foundation with a 100+ partnership for the second wicket, but their dismissal paved the way for an Australian comeback as they picked up four wickets for just 30 runs, with Dhawan, Rahul, Kohli and Shreyas Iyer falling in quick succession.
Though Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja brought about some sort of solidity with a 49-run stand, the quality pace attack of Australia ensured that they were out before they could take the target near the 300-run mark. A few boundaries by Kuldeep and Shami might have irked the Kangaroos, but the target of 255 would hardly have troubled them on a belter of a track.
To make matters worse, Pant complained of a concussion during the innings break, which meant that he did not take the field in the second innings. Rahul donned the gloves instead.
Whatever little hopes India had of taking the encounter close evaporated as the seam bowlers conceded too many width deliveries upfront, which was latched on by the Aussie batters. Team India will need to turn the humiliation around quickly as they move into a do-or-die encounter at Rajkot on Friday.
Brief scores: India 255 in 49.1 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 74, KL Rahul 47; Mitchell Starc 3/56, Kane Richardson 2/43) lost to Australia 258/0 in 37.4 overs (David Warner 128*, Aaron Finch 110*) by 10 wickets.
