Fighting batting, wrist spin help India go 1-0 up

Barely six months after the two teams were engrossed in a thrilling 4-Test series, the Australians are back to India to complete the limited overs version of the tour. After so much wait finally the awaited series starts with lots of excitement and thrill.

Indian captain won the toss and invited the guests for the field. “It is a no-brainer”, said the Indian skipper Virat Kohli at the toss, while electing the bat first.

It seemed Australia had racked their brains well enough to come up with a plan against India on flat tracks. Riding on sharp, tidy lengths, Australia's new ball bowlers put the Indian batsmen under the pump.

Having reduced India to 11 for 3, Australia seemed to be in complete control but a stubborn Kedar Jadhav combined well with Rohit Sharma to put on show India's first signs of resilience. While the duo added 53 runs for the fourth wicket, the major damage had to come through in the form of a stellar stand between Pandya and Dhoni, both of whom took stock of the situation first before bludgeoning their way past fifties to give India a solid 281.

83 runs in last 10 overs. Pandya once again proved why Kohli rates him so highly and then Dhoni proved why there is no reason to look anywhere until World Cup, 2019. It was amazing to see him flaunt a few shots that are usually associated with him. Is this the new version of Dhoni? Comes when the team is in trouble, plays around and then instills enough confidence in the tail – read Bhuvi (32 off 30) in this case – play shots. 

 However, rain had other plans as it ran the game close to the cut-off time without a single ball in Australia's chase. Eventually, Australia were given 21 overs to chase 164, during which their batting let them down.

But by the end of Sunday evening, the visitors were torn by some supremely fighting batting and a muddled batting approach in curtailed conditions against superior spin bowling. Chasing 164 in 21 overs demanded a more T20 approach but wickets up front saw Australia hurtle before crashing faceward down, handing the hosts a 26-run win.

Stats and records: 

It was the second lowest score for India at the fall of 3^rd wicket in home.

ODI : 5 VS SA,           Hyderabad    2005

          11 VS Australia, Chennai       2017

          12 VS WI,           Faridabad    1994

          12 VS Australia, Vadodara     2007

83 by Hardik is the highest for an Indian at number 7 or below against Australia in ODIs goes past by 75 by Robin Singh in Colombo in 1999.

194 runs scored by India’s number 6,7 & 8 is the second most by them in an ODI innings, after 198 against Zimbabwe in Turnbridge Wells in 1983.

This is Australia’s first loss in five ODIs at Chepauk.

It was the third time Hardik Pandya hit sixes off three consecutive ball in ODIs.

This was the first ever ODI for David Warner in India.

MS Dhoni back to his so called second home ground for play after 695 days.

This is only the 4^th time India’s No. 3 & 4 both got out for a duck in the same ODI.

100^th International Fifty for MS Dhoni and become fourth Indian to achieve this landmark.

           Sachin 164

           Dravid 146

           Ganguly 107

           Dhoni 100*

MS Dhoni now scored 401 runs at Chennai which is most by any player on this ground in ODI cricket.

Dhoni ODI batting average:

         2015 – 45.71

         2016 – 27.80

         2017 – 94.00*

Hardik Pandya become third Indian to score 70+ and take 2+ wickets in an ODI:         (1) Sachin Tendulkar

                  (2) Robin Singh

                 (3) Hardik Pandya