Ind vs Aus 2019: Unnoticed things from the 1st ODI

After a nail biting T20I series, India kickstarted the ODI series with a win. Aaron Finch won the toss and decided to bat. Aussies did not have a great power play as Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah did not allow them to score freely. There was a partnership for the second wicket, but the golden arm of Kedar Jadhav came to the rescue.

Middle overs were kept in check by India’s spin trio of Kuldeep, Jadeja and Jadhav. They struck wickets at regular intervals and kept the scoring rate to a minimum. Glenn Maxwell tried rescuing the sinking Australian ship with Ashton Turner, but fell prey to Shami. Aussies ended up on a below par score of 236.

Indian chase did not have a positive start as they lost Dhawan very early. Rohit and Virat started consolidating the innings but both got out in quick succession. India was reeling at 99-4 when Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni joined hands in the middle. They stitched together a partnership of 141 runs and took India home safely.

#1 Aaron Finch’s weird scoring pattern against India

Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch, the Australian captain, also labeled by many as one of the most destructive batsmen in the world, has been found wanting against the Indian bowling attack.

He has had a poor run against India in the recent white-ball matches but what were more intriguing were his weird scoring patterns.

Finch got out for eight twice, six twice and duck twice.

For such a fine player, to be out of form for so long is a big worry for Australian cricket team going into the World Cup. What is more worrying is the fact that he has been getting out to the same delivery, the one coming in.

Aussies will hope that their captain finds a way out of this rough patch soon.

#2 Shami’s amazing accuracy

Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami, the pacer who has redefined himself in white-ball cricket, was at his best today as his figures today read 10-2-44-2.

The two wickets that he took today was him clean-bowling the batsmen. What is more interesting is that among his last 12 ODI scalps, eight of them have been bowled or LBW.

His last 12 dismissals:

Bowled

Bowled

Bowled

LBW

Bowled

Caught

Caught

Caught

Bowled

Caught

Bowled

Bowled

Such has been the nagging accuracy of pacer that most of his bowls end up hitting the stumps, which found every batsmen wanting.

Shami is a very integral part of team India’s World Cup plans going ahead, as he has filled in the spot for India’s third seamer and could well play ahead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the basis of his current form. He would be an asset with his swing and accuracy in English conditions.

#3 Lowest strike-rate for Rohit in an ODI innings when he scored 25+ runs

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma, the World No.2 ranked batsmen in ODIs, and one of the best openers in the world, could not get going in today’s match. He played a scratchy innings that didn't take off.

Rohit started his innings with a boundary on the very first ball, but found the going difficult as the ball was swinging. He still stayed patient and held his end up, fighting his way through. It seemed that Rohit was set for another big one, until he skied one and was out caught.

Rohit got out on 37 off 66 balls. His strike rate was 56.06, the lowest for him in an ODI innings where he scored more than 25 runs.

Most of the times, when Rohit Sharma settles in, he converts it into a big one, but today was not his day, unfortunately.

#4 Kohli’s troubles against Zampa continue

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, the best batsmen in the world currently, has been off lately being troubled a lot by Aussie leg spinner Adam Zampa. Zampa got his wicket in the first T20 as well as today.

Stats also indicate that Virat Kohli has found it hard against the leggie; he has scored 84 runs on the 76 balls he has faced against Adam Zampa and has been dismissed four times in the process. He averages a meager 21 against Zampa.

Virat’s troubles against spin and especially leg spin have been visible from the previous edition of IPL where he fell prey to likes of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb. He also got out a couple of times against Adil Rashid in England.

Virat falling to spinners so often is a worrying thing for India but knowing the kind of batsmen he is, he will definitely find a way out of this and will surely improve.