Australia vs India: 5 Things that went unnoticed from the 1st ODI

After a historic Test series win over Australia, India gets ready for some white-ball action as they take on the Aussies in the three-match ODI series. This also kickstarts India's campaign in their lead up to the World Cup.

With only 13 games before the tournament in England, India would want to use every opportunity to try their best possible combination going into the mega-tournament. The three ODIs against Australia might see India tinkering with their XI as they look for a backup for every possible spot.

In the first ODI at Sydney, the hosts won the toss and opted to bat first as they feature a new look ODI side in their retro look. To start off things, Australia didn't witness the best of opening partnership as skipper Aaron Finch was bowled in the third over.

But the middle-order eased out things as Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh stitched in a crucial 92-run partnership before the former was adjudged lbw against Jadeja. Peter Handscomb looked comfortable as he stroke his way to a well made 73 of 61 deliveries.

India kept things tight as Australia failed to up the ante even in the death overs. Courtesy some quick runs at the end from Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell, the hosts managed to post 288 in their 50 overs.

Chasing 289, India got off to a dismal start as they lost Shikhar Dhawan for a golden duck in the first over. It went from bad to worse when the tourists saw off Virat Kohli and Ambati Rayudu in a span of three balls inside 5 overs with the score reading only four runs on the board.

Just when Australia could seize the opportunity, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni got together to shift the balance in India's favour. The duo went about frustrating the hosts with nudging balls for 1s and 2s with occasional boundaries.

Though once Dhoni got out, Rohit kept losing partners at the other end despite his 22nd ODI ton for India. Eventually, India lost the game by 34 runs to help Australia go 1-0 up in the 3-match ODI series. Here's a look at 5 things that went Unnoticed from the 1st ODI.

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#1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar claims 100th ODI wicket and Dhoni completes 10K ODI runs in blue

Bhuvneshwar claimed his 100th ODI victim

India's new ball bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar attained an important landmark in his ODI career in the series opener against Australia at Sydney. Dismissing Aaron Finch in his second over, Bhuvi became the 19th Indian to register 100 ODI wickets in his career.

Playing in his 96th ODI, Bhuvi became the slowest Indian among bowlers to claim this feat. This is also a testimony to his declining prowess in this format in recent times. His ability with the old ball has certainly come down after he was taken for runs in the last couple of series in the death overs.

On the other hand, MS Dhoni also registered 10k ODI runs playing for India. Dhoni had 9999 runs before he entered the ODI series. He walked in at a crucial stage of the match and saw India out of the trouble with an important partnership with Rohit Sharma for the fifth wicket.

#2 Peter Siddle records for most matches missed between two ODI appearances for Australia

Siddle made his way back after 2010

Pace bowler Peter Siddle made an ODI comeback into the Australian side after his last appearance in the green and gold came in 2010. It's been pretty long coming for the veteran to make a return to the ODI side.

His return saw him feature in the 18th ODI for Australia. He missed 169 ODIs from 2010 to 2019, most by any Australian between two ODI appearances, eclipsing Bradd Hogg's record 157 ODIs missed between 1996 and 200.

In this period, Virat Kohli recorded 60 International centuries to take his tally from 3 to 63 in International cricket. The 34-year old Victorian never lost the hope and did the hard yards to stand in with a chance of a serious comeback in white ball cricket. Though his inclusion in the side was not received by open arms as the selectors faced backlash for turning the clock instead of looking for the future stars.

#3 Rohit Sharma registers third-most sixes against any team in International cricket

Rohit Sharma scored his 22nd ODI ton

Indian opener Rohit Sharma has been in sublime touch in the white ball format of the game. His repertoire of shots makes him a very efficient player limited-overs batsman. His ability to tonk the ball hard and take on any bowler allows him to take his time upfront while opening the batting.

Even in the ODI at Sydney, Rohit took his own time to get the team out of the trouble to only bring his power game to the fore in the later stages of the game. It seems his love affair against Australia continues as he smashed yet another century against the Aussies. In due course, he claimed the record for third-most sixes against any opposition in International cricket.

He went past Chris Gayle's 81 sixes against New Zealand, taking his own tally to 82 sixes against Australia. He also holds the record for joint-most 25 maximums against Australia in ODIs along with Shahid Afridi.

#4 Virat Kohli registers his first single-digit score in 21 innings in ODIs

It was a rare failure for Virat Kohli in ODIs

One of the best batsmen in the current scenario, Virat Kohli has been heads and shoulder above the rest in all forms of the game. His trust over his ability to fight until the battle is eventually won/lost makes him a true genius of the game.

His recent record, especially in the ODI format makes him a legend of a player he is. His mastery over planning run-chases in white ball cricket does make him a modern master by all sorts.

Though even great players commit mistakes, and so did Indian skipper Virat Kohli after he was dismissed for merely three runs in the series opener at Sydney. This was his first single-digit score recorded in last 21 ODI innings. His last single-digit score saw him register a duck in an ODI game against Australia in Chennai.

#5 India didn't hit a four in first 21 overs, for the first time since 2001

It was a disappointing start for the Indian openers as Dhawan was trapped in front in the first over of their innings itself. To add to their misery, skipper Kohli and Ambati Rayudu were also sent back in a span of three deliveries inside five overs. This led to a slow start for the Indians as Dhoni and Rohit tried to bail India out of trouble.

Both the players went about their business with ease as they kept nudging the balls in the outfield. There was indeed a dearth of boundaries in India's innings until the duo really settled in to see boundaries come their way.

It was in the 21st over when India hit first four in their batting innings. This was a rare feat, especially due to the start in the first few overs for the visitors. It was for the very first time when India failed to score any boundary in the first 15 overs.