Australia made light work of a modest target to secure a seven-wicket win over India in the first ODI at Perth Stadium, spoiling the much-anticipated return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the 50-over format.
Mitchell Marsh, captaining the side, guided his team home with an unbeaten 46, earning the Player of the Match award as Australia chased down a revised target of 131 in just 19.2 overs under the DLS method.
India, fielding a largely experimental side under Shubman Gill, were undone by a fiery spell from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood after repeated rain interruptions disrupted their innings.
India’s top order collapsed within the first nine overs as Hazlewood and Starc exploited the extra bounce on offer. Rohit Sharma (8) nicked off to slip, while Virat Kohli, making his ODI return after a brief hiatus, fell for an eight-ball duck attempting to drive away from his body. Gill’s unlucky feather down the leg side added to India’s woes, leaving them reeling at 25 for three.
With Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul failing to convert starts, the innings lacked momentum. Axar Patel provided brief resistance with a quick 30, while debutant Nitish Reddy added a late flourish. But India could only muster 136 in 26 overs after rain shortened the match, their innings punctuated by frequent stoppages.
“It’s never easy when you lose three early wickets in the powerplay. We were always playing catch-up,” said captain Shubman Gill. “Defending 131, we took the game pretty deep and that’s a positive.”
Australia’s chase never looked in doubt despite losing Travis Head early to Arshdeep Singh. Marsh took control with calculated aggression, striking boundaries off both Siraj and Arshdeep, while Matt Short and Josh Philippe chipped in with quick runs to keep the tempo up.
Axar Patel briefly lifted India’s spirits by removing Short, and Washington Sundar added a breakthrough by dismissing Philippe, but the result was a formality once Marsh and Renshaw (12*) settled in.
“It seamed around a bit early, but the young guys played brilliantly,” Marsh said. “It’s always nice to win at home and get the series off to a strong start.”
India’s preparation appeared inadequate for the fast, bouncy conditions in Perth. After spending the previous months on flatter pitches in the UAE and England, their batters struggled to adapt to the extra lift and movement.
Former players in commentary pointed out India’s technical shortcomings against pace, calling for more domestic match practice before major overseas tours.
