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The first ODI between India and Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday was expected to be a closely contested one considering that, on paper, both teams are very well-matched. However, for Indian cricket fans, the experience of the first one-dayer turned out to be a major anti-climax as the Aussies ran all over India.
Electing to bowl first after winning the toss, the Australians were successful in reducing India to 255 despite a fluent 74 from Shikhar Dhawan. The Indian opener and KL Rahul (47) featured in a century stand for the second wicket, but once the partnership was broken, India completely fell apart. Batting at number four, Virat Kohli fell for 16.
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In response, Aussie skipper Aaron Finch (110*) and David Warner (128*) thumped the Indian bowling with utter disdain. Their unbeaten 258-run stand is now the highest-ever partnership for any wicket against India. Here’s a look at the other four highest stands that complete the top five.
#2. Steve Smith and George Bailey (Perth 2016)
Before Warner and Finch, another Aussie duo held the record for the highest ODI partnership against India. Steve Smith and George Bailey featured in a 242-run stand for the third wicket at Perth in the first ODI of the series on January 12, 2016.
India batted first in the game and put up an impressive 309 for 3 on the board courtesy Rohit Sharma’s delightful 171 not out from 163 balls and Kohli’s 91 from 97. However, the Aussies had no trouble in chasing down the target as skipper Smith and former captain Bailey went berserk. After Finch and Warner were dismissed cheaply, Smith blasted 149 from 135 balls, hitting 11 fours and two sixes. At the other end, Bailey contributed 112 from 120 with seven fours and two sixes.
By the time Ashwin dismissed Bailey, Australia had raced to 263 for 3 in the 42nd over. The hosts went on to win the contest by five wickets.
#3. Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten (Kochi 2000)
In the first ODI of the controversial 2000 India tour, played at Kochi on March 9, 2000, South African openers Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten flayed the Indian attack to all parts, batting first. The pair added 235 for the opening wicket in 39.3 overs as India’s bowlers looked clueless.
Former India coach Kirsten hit 115 from 123 balls, an innings punctuated with 12 fours, while Gibbs eased his way to 111 from 127 deliveries, creaming 11 fours and two sixes. Thanks to the duo’s magnificent batting efforts, South Africa finished their innings on 301 for 3.
It wasn’t enough for South Africa to register a victory though as Ajay Jadeja (92) and Robin Singh (42 not out) took India to victory in a thriller, with two balls to spare.
#4. Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn (Johannesburg 2003)
This was the most significant of all partnerships, coming as it did in the final of the 2003 World Cup at Johannesburg on March 23. After Adam Gilchrist (57) and Matthew Hayden (37) had featured in a century opening stand, captain Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn completely shut out India from the final.
Ponting blasted an unbeaten 140 from 121 balls, with eight sixes to go with his four fours. The sublime Martyn eased his way to 88 not out from 84 balls, collecting seven fours and a six. The fire and ice combination posted a mammoth stand of 234* for the third wicket. Australia finished their innings on an astonishing 359 for 2.
India lost Sachin Tendulkar in the first over of the chase. And, despite Virender Sehwag’s belligerent 82, went down in the final by 125 runs.
#5. Aaron Finch and David Warner (Bengaluru 2017)
Who else but Finch and Warner themselves to round off the top five list? The magnificent Aussie openers added 231 for the first wicket at Bengaluru on September 28, 2017. Australia were 3-0 down going into the 4th ODI, and it needed a spectacular effort from the Aussie openers to halt the Indian juggernaut.
Batting first, Finch and Warner decided to take on the Indian bowling attack, and proved to be highly successful yet again. Their impressive stand of 231 came in exactly 35 overs. Finch narrowly missed out on a hundred, dismissed by Umesh Yadav for 94 from 96, having hit 10 fours and three sixes. Warner, however, successfully crossed three figures. He eventually fell to Kedar Jadhav for 124 from 119, having whacked 12 fours and four sixes.
Courtesy another sensational Finch-Warner stand, Aussies posted 334 for 5 on the board. India fell short by 21 runs in the chase. Jadhav, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane posted fifties, but what India needed was a Finch-Warner like partnership to see them through.
Also read: 10 iconic ODI partnerships which changed the course of the match
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