IND v AUS 2020, 1st ODI: India Player Ratings

Australia and India faced off in the first of 3 ODIs at the Sydney Cricket Ground today.

After Australian captain Aaron Finch won the toss and opted to bat first, he and Steve Smith registered centuries to take the team to 374/6. Glenn Maxwell and David Warner chipped in with valuable innings as India were left to rue their poor fielding efforts.

In the run-chase, Josh Hazlewood ran through the Indian top order, sending back 3 of the top 4 within the first 10 overs. Hardik Pandya and Shikhar Dhawan gave India hope, but the total proved to be a mountain too tall to climb in the end as Australia registered a 66-run win.

Here are India's player ratings from the IND v AUS 1st ODI.

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IND v AUS 2020, 1st ODI: India's Player Ratings

Australia v India - ODI Game 1

Shikhar Dhawan: 7/10

Dhawan held up one end nicely as wickets fell around him, and was dropped a couple of times en route to an 86-ball 74. The southpaw found the gaps well in a tough situation, and while the intent was right on the ball that he was dismissed, the execution was all wrong. He dropped Smith in the outfield off Jadeja, and the shelled chance proved to be very costly in the end.

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Mayank Agarwal: 5.5/10

After a superb start that saw him on 22 off 17 balls, Agarwal played a careless pull shot that ended up in the safe hands of a fielder. The opener did have a slice of luck as he edged a couple of balls past slip, but got the team off to a flier. He really should have carried on and made a big score with the conditions in his favour.

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Virat Kohli: 6/10

Kohli signalled his intent right from the outset, and played a couple of stellar shots to put Australia on the backfoot. However, India were never bound to chase 374 without their captain making a significant contribution, and another ill-advised pull brought about his downfall for just 21. He got his bowling changes and team selection fairly right (the over-rate was shocking to say the least), and the Men in Blue will need him to step up with the series on the line in the 2nd ODI.

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Shreyas Iyer: 2/10

Iyer has sealed the No. 4 spot to some extent, but he looked completely out of his depth on this occasion. He fell to the short ball not for the first time in his short international career, and was caught horribly out of position at a time when India needed him to get stuck in.

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KL Rahul: 2/10

Rahul came in at No. 5 in this game after a tidy performance behind the stumps, and somehow managed to find a fielder off an Adam Zampa full-toss. The vice-captain of the team in the absence of Rohit Sharma, he really should've done better and must put in an improved performance in the 2nd ODI.

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Hardik Pandya: 8.5/10

Pandya justified his inclusion as a specialist batsman with a brilliant counter-attacking 90 that threatened to take the game away from the opposition. He had no option but to go after Zampa when he was dismissed, and with a little more support from his teammates, he could've taken India over the line. The all-rounder also became the fastest Indian to reach the milestone of 1,000 ODI runs.

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Ravindra Jadeja: 6.5/10

Jadeja's 10 overs went for 63 runs, and he was unlucky not to get Smith not once but twice. He did what was asked of him and restricted the flow of runs to a decent extent, and apart from a run-out that he really should've effected, was good in the field. The left-hander could've been more aggressive after Pandya was dismissed, but seemed to have given up before holing out in the deep off Zampa.

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Mohammed Shami: 7.5/10

Shami was the pick of the bowlers and India's only saving grace against Australia. He scalped the wickets of Warner, Smith and Maxwell to finish with figures of 3/59 in his 10 overs, and although he was great in the middle overs and at the death, he should've offered more penetration with the new ball. Shami struck a few lusty blows towards the end of the Indian innings, when the game as a contest was long over.

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Navdeep Saini: 4/10

Saini was another bowler who was taken to the cleaners on the night as he conceded 83 runs in his 10 overs. Often wayward and unclear about his plans, the RCB quick - who reportedly suffered from back spasms ahead of this game - was clearly the weak link in the bowling lineup. The wicket of Labuschagne was little by way of consolation, and he added 29 rather meaningless runs with the bat as well.

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Yuzvendra Chahal: 4/10

Chahal may have dismissed Stoinis for a first-ball duck, but he got carted around for 89 runs in his 10 overs. He didn't use as many variations as he should have, and opted to take the safe route for most of his spell. India will expect more from the only wicket-taking spinner in their playing XI.

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Jasprit Bumrah: 4.5/10

Bumrah came into this game having picked up only 1 wicket in 6 ODIs in 2020, and his poor run this year continued. Unable to keep a check on the runs and offering little penetration, the Indian spearhead conceded 73 runs in his 10 overs and picked up the solitary wicket of Finch.