India vs Australia 1st ODI: 3 Reasons why Australia lost the game

After the T20I series loss at Bengaluru, Team India was given a reality check for complacency if there was any. Australia has always been a very competitive side in ODI series played in India. As a matter of fact, out of 41 bilateral series ODI matches played in India, the Aussies are ahead with 19 victories, compared to India's 17.

India was ready for the challenge. Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. The Indian bowlers restricted Australia to a below par total with good bowling.

In reply, India had a poor start as Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed for a duck. Rohit Sharma and captain Virat Kohli steadied the innings for some time, but the Aussies kept bowling tight lines, and poor shot selection cost India few wickets in middle overs. It was MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav who added a massive unbeaten partnership of 141. India pulled off a six-wicket victory at Hyderabad to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Here are the three reasons why Australia lost the match.

#1 Lack of partnerships in the Aussie batting

Aaron Finch

Australia was high on confidence after the T20 series win but couldn't replicate the same in this match. After choosing to bat first on a good wicket, they disappointed themselves with the effort, and the poor form of Aaron Finch is not helping Australia at all. Although Usman Khawaja and Marcus Stoinis tried to stabilise the innings, they were not successful in giving the team a stable platform.

Poor shot selection led to their downfall, and the rest of the players didn't apply themselves. The lack of partnerships hampered Australia from posting a big total on the board. If Australia want to win matches in the future, they need to work on building partnerships in the middle overs. Today was a classic example of how a team ends up on losing side without healthy partnerships.

#2 The MS Dhoni- Kedar Jadhav partnership

Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni

Although Australia had set a below-par total, India had a task at hand to chase it. The famed batting line-up didn't come to the party during the chase as Dhawan got out on a first a ball duck. Rohit and Kohli got out after getting starts. It was once again a litmus test for India's middle order to show their potential.

But today, the experienced campaigners in Dhoni and Jadhav proved why they are vital cogs in India's middle order. They came in when India were reeling at 99/4, and went on to win it for India with an unbeaten 141 run partnership. Slowly and steadily, the duo took the match away from Australia's grasp. Riding on a little bit of luck, the pair had all the answers to the things Australia threw at them.

#3 Mohammad Shami's opening spell and the Kuldeep's bowling in the middle overs

Mohammad Shami

If there is any bowler in the international circuit who has earnestly worked on his game and fitness to become better in the past year, it has to be Mohammad Shami. Shami is making a strong case for a place in the playing eleven for the upcoming World Cup with his consistent performances. The captain is also using Shami as a wicket-taking option in the middle overs, and Shami is delivering for Team India.

Kuldeep Yadav is on his way to greatness. Every passing match, the opposition is making him look unplayable. The difficulty in reading his bowling variations is causing trouble to any batting lineup in the cricketing world right now, let alone in-transition Australia. Kuldeep has the knack of getting crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs. Today, he, alongside Shami didn't allow Australia to get away with the scoring rate. As long as opposition teams don't find a way to counter Kuldeep, they are always on the back foot.