Australia registered a clinical win over India in 1st ODI. The hosts were chasing a 131-run target according to the DLS method in 26 overs due to intermittent rain. Mitchell Marsh played a captain’s knock of 46 runs in 52 balls in which he hit 2 fours and 3 sixes, and the Aussies completed the run chase in 21.1 overs and now have taken a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.
Josh Hazlewood & Mitchell Starc dent India’s batting line-up
Aussie skipper Mitchell Marsh had no hesitation in bowling first. The surface had moisture, and Perth Stadium has the knack of being fast, which makes life harder for batters in 1st innings, especially. There was a lot of buzz around Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli, who were making a comeback to the ODI format after the ICC CT 2025 triumph, and also a lot was at stake in the future of star batters.
Josh Hazlewood showed immense control in his line & length. The surface had a steep bounce as playing a flamboyant brand of cricket was risky. In the 4th over, Josh Hazlewood sent back former skipper Rohit Sharma to the pavilion as he gave a catch to the slip fielder. Rohit Sharma went without troubling the scorers as he was dismissed on 8 runs in 14 balls. India’s score was 13-1 in 3.4 overs.
Then came the much-anticipated star batter Virat Kohli at the crease. Virat Kohli, too, was seen blatantly struggling against the new ball. Mitchell Starc’s line & length were spot on as his off-stump channel slowly started to bother Virat Kohli. Virat Kohli didn’t get off to a mark for 7 deliveries; the pressure was mounting on him.
In the 7th over, Starc bowled an outswinging delivery as Virat Kohli played a lofted square drive, but gave a catch to the backward point fielder. Virat Kohli registered an unwanted record as he registered his maiden duck in Australia in ODI cricket. India was in a spot of bother at 21-2 in 6.1 overs. The trouble controlled for India as Shubman Gill’s poor shot selection put India’s score in jeopardy at 25-3 in 8.1 overs.
Australia continues dominance
At the end of 10 overs, India’s score was 27-3. It can be said that hide & hide-and-seek game was being played in the rain. The match was stopped multiple times due to which affected the Indian batters’ concentration, and Shreyas Iyer was dismissed cheaply on 11 runs in 24 balls. At that time, India’s score was 45-4 in 13.2 overs.
Josh Hazlewood was on a roll who bowling a terrific spell as he conceded 20 runs in his 7-over spell and bowled 2 maidens. Australia made sure that they didn’t bowl any freebies, as there was a great exhibition of fast bowling. The match was curtailed to 26 overs as the rain was quite intermittent.
KL Rahul & Axar Patel couldn’t provide the impetus to the innings. The Men in Blue had a tough task on their hands as at the end of the 17th over, India’s score was 54-4. KL Rahul & Axar Patel slowly started rebuilding the innings as Nathan Ellis & Mitchell Owen were taken to the cleaners. The introduction of Matthew Kuhnemann in the 20th over again brought the Aussies back in the game as Axar Patel was out after scoring 31 runs in 38 balls. At the end of 20 overs, Australia’s score was 84-5.
Matthew Short was taken to the cleaners in the 21st over by KL Rahul, who gave away 17 runs. KL Rahul should have batted till the end of 26 overs, as the batting wasn’t that strong in the lower middle order section. KL Rahul played a fiery knock of 38 runs in 31 balls as he hit 2 fours and 2 sixes. It was a collective effort from the Aussie bowling unit hunted in a pack and restricted the score to 136-9 & DLS score was 131 for Australia to win in 26 overs.
Mitchell Marsh’s blitz floors India
In response to the target of 131 target, Travis Head unleashed two fours in the very first over. The left-arm speedster Arshdeep Singh, though, immediately got rid of Travis Head in the 2nd over as a lofted deep back-ward point shot proved to be costly for the batters. India’s score was 10-1 in 1.2 overs. Mitchell Marsh looked a bit worried as, apart from him, the batting unit looked fragile with no Alex Carey & Josh Inglis in the mix.
Mitchell Marsh was very chary at the start of the run chase as the ball was swinging drastically. Mitchell Marsh was deep in the crease as his wild bat swing was a treat to watch. Mitchell Marsh smashed gigantic sixes on the bowling of Arshdeep Singh & Mohammed Siraj as the skipper was getting into the groove. At the end of 5 overs, Australia’s score was 29-1.
Mitchell Marsh looked in absolute control and zone of the run chase. The defense of the Australian skipper was laudable; he didn’t panic even after playing a string of dot balls. Axar Patel, in the 8th over, was able to contain Matthew Short, whose struggles finally ended. Australia’s score at his departure was 44-2 in 7.5 overs.
Mitchell Marsh got the much-needed support from Josh Philippe. At the end of 10 overs, Australia’s score was 55-2, and most importantly, in a short game, the Aussies had the luxury of having 8 wickets in hand as they needed 76 runs to win from 16 overs, which was quite a gettable task in the modern era.
Josh Philipe & Mitchell Marsh torment India
At the end of the drinks break in 12 overs, Australia’s score was 67-2 and needed another 64 runs to win. India needed a cluster of wickets to make a comeback in the match. Josh Philipe, though, had other ideas; in the 13th over, Harshit Rana got belt treatment as he whacked him for back-to-back boundaries. It seemed that the drinks break gave the spark to Josh Philipe.
Mitchell Marsh was quite happy to play the role of anchor as Josh Philipe decimated India’s bowling unit. The partnership between them was looking threatening and all set to run away with the game. Josh Philipe’s ultra-attacking plan came to an end as Washington Sundar was dismissed on 37 runs in 29 balls, as he struck 3 fours and 2 sixes in his knock. Australia’s score was 99-3 in 15.2 overs.
Matt Renshaw, who was making his ODI debut, came at the crease. The equation wasn’t a tough one as Australia needed 32 runs to win from 64 balls. Matt Renshaw played an unbeaten knock of 21 runs in 24 balls as he hit 1 four and 1 six. Mitchell Marsh, though, was the chief architect of the run chase as the Aussies won the match by 7 wickets in hand and had 4.5 overs remaining.
India’s bowling unit had a forgettable outing. There was only one best way for India to win the match, which was to bowl out the Aussies, that didn’t happen. Skipper Shubmna Gill’s start to ODI captaincy wasn’t a great one; the batter with the bat in his hand had scored 10 runs in 18 balls. India quickly needs to regroup and make a comeback, as this is only a 3-match ODI series.
Turning Point
Undoubtedly, when the top order of India comprising Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill & Virat Kohli were dismissed inside powerplay overs as the score was 25-3 in 8.1 overs, that put Australia in ascendancy. The star-studded batting trio, which is not a good sign if chief selector Ajit Agarkar & head coach Gautam Gambhir are looking at ICC ODI WC 2027 with Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli at the helm, who looked awful in the opening ODI match.
What lies ahead for Australia & India
Australia would be over the moon after their emphatic win over India in 1st ODI. We can say it was a near-perfect performance from the Kangaroos, who made a statement that the game of cricket is being played on the field, not on paper. Aussies weren’t the favorites to win the match as a lot of players: Adam Zampa, Josh Inglis & Alex Carey weren’t a part of the playing 11 (*rested due to workload management). The second ODI match is on 23rd October at Adelaide, and now Mitchell Marsh’s brigade has a golden chance to seal the series at Adelaide.
India, on the other hand, would be shell-shocked after their below-par performance in 1st ODI. There was a lot of buzz created for the return of Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma, who failed to trouble the scorers and have an impact. Even in the presence of KL Rahul & Shreyas Iyer, the middle order faltered, which is a concern as such defeats can haunt Men in Blue in knock-out matches of ICC ODI WC 2027. It won’t be wrong to say that now it’s do or die for Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma in 2nd ODI as already there’s no assurity that they are in scheme of things for ODI WC 2027
Also Read: AUS vs IND: Josh Hazlewood’s Incisive Spell Rattles India