Perth, Oct 19 (UNI) Under a brooding sky at Perth Stadium, India’s batting crumbled to 136 for nine in a truncated 26-over innings, only to see the hosts stroll past the target in 21.1 overs, winning by seven wickets the ODI opener. This was textbook fast-bowling domination meeting aggressive, calculated batting – a perfect illustration of why this pitch has long been a graveyard for subcontinental technique.
Winning the toss and electing to bowl was a masterstroke by Mitchell Marsh. From the first over, the Australian pacers had India on the back foot. Rohit Sharma, looking to assert himself, was undone by Josh Hazlewood’s extra bounce for 8.
Then came the moment that silenced the Indian fans – Virat Kohli, chasing a wide delivery from Nitchell Starc, nicked it to Cooper Connolly at backward point for a duck. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer tried to stem the rot, but the scoreboard read 45 for four before India’s hopes of a competitive total started slipping through their fingers.
Axar Patel and KL Rahul brought a brief glimmer of hope, punishing Matthew Short with back-to-back sixes, showing that class can indeed shine through chaos. But the partnership could not last; Axar miscued and Rahul followed shortly after, leaving India’s lower order to fight a losing battle.
Nitish Kumar Reddy, on debut, played with the fearless abandon of a player unburdened by expectation, smashing Mathew Kuhnemann into the stands twice, but wickets of Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh (run out), and Mohammad Siraj saw India fold at 136 for nine.
Australia’s 131-run DLS chase was a clinic in pacing an innings under pressure. Travis Head started aggressively but fell for 8, giving India a fleeting chance. Then Josh Philippe exploded – a cavalcade of two sixes and three boundaries, reminding everyone of the power of timing and intent.
Mitchell Marsh, calm and assured, took command, punishing Siraj and Arshdeep with successive sixes and boundaries over deep cover and deep square, while Matt Renshaw (21*) combined elegance with cheeky audacity, carving fours and sixes with supreme control.
Even amid the dominance, India’s fielders produced moments of brilliance: a stunning one-handed stop by Siraj off Renshaw and a sliding two-handed catch by Arshdeep to dismiss Philippe. But in the end, Perth’s pitch and Australia’s relentless pace were too much for India.
This match once again reminded us that at Perth, technique and temperament must walk hand in hand. The Australians played with confidence and authority, the Indians with flashes of courage but ultimately unable to tame the pace and bounce.
Australia now take a 1-0 lead in three-match series, but if India learns from this and adjusts to the conditions, there’s still fight left in this contest.
