India vs Australia 2017, 1st ODI: 5 things we learnt from the match

Aided by Hardik Pandya's all-round performance, India thrashed Australia by 26 runs in a rain-shortened match at Chepauk, Chennai on Sunday. A fiery opening spell from Nathan Coulter-Nile on a spicy wicket had India in trouble at 11/3. Marcus Stoinis deepened the wounds with a couple of vital blows to reduce India to 87/5 but MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya stood firm amidst the ruins.

The understudy, Pandya, blasted Zampa for a hat-trick of sixes before he was dismissed for a belligerent 83 while Dhoni took his time to launch the perfect attack. He took a special liking to Faulkner before falling to the same bowler in the final over for a well made 79.

Australia's innings was delayed by persistent rain in Chennai and the match seemed to be heading to washout when suddenly things cleared up and a 21 over game was plausible with the visitors needing 164 for victory. India struck early blows to reduce the Aussies to 35/4 but Maxwell got stuck into the wrist spinners to smash an 18 ball 39, including three successive sixes off Kuldeep Yadav.

Once Chahal and Kuldeep started bamboozling the Aussie batsmen, there was no turning around. Even Faulkner's last gasp effort to get Australia over the line failed as none of the other batsmen gave him company. Eventually, they fell 26 short of a reduced Duckworth-Lewis target.

Brief Scores: India 281/7 (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79, Coulter-Nile 3/44) beat Australia 137/9 in 21 overs (Maxwell 39, Chahal 3/30)

Don't miss the key moments from the clash at Chennai.

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#5 Coulter-Nile's burst with the new ball

Coulter-Nile shone with an incisive opening spell

If India thought they could relax with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood back in Australia, they did not account for the visitor's immense fast bowling depth. Nathan Coulter-Nile, that Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler who bowled searing spells in the 2017 IPL, was once again at it on a spriteful Chennai wicket.

He was given a gift when Ajinkya Rahane slashed at a wide ball and edged behind. Virat Kohli soon followed with a four-ball duck, as Maxwell hung onto a stunner to get rid of the Indian skipper. Nathan Coulter-Nile in the process dismissed Kohli for a duck the second time in his career. Two balls later, the Australian capped off his over by sending back Manish Pandey for another duck to reduce India to 11/3.

#4 Pandya's sizzling cameo and the battle with Zampa

Pandya stole the thunder with a spectacular blitz

Hardik Pandya is quickly establishing himself in the Indian ODI line-up. If the Lankan ODI series went rather quietly for the all-rounder, he made up for it with a spectacular 83, coming off 66 balls. India were reduced to 87/5 when Pandya turned on the screws with some eye-catching shots. His battle with Adam Zampa turned out to be the highlight of the innings.

Zampa had gone for just 28 in his first seven overs when he faced off with Hardik Pandya. The Baroda man took the leggie on, smashing three consecutive sixes off him, the second of which got him to his half-century. He added one more against Zampa as he raced to 83 before the Australian spinner had the last laugh when Pandya miscued a big hit to short third man.

#3 MS Dhoni paints the finishing touches with 100th half-century

Dhoni added his magical touch at the end to take India to a fine total

The first word that comes into your mind when you think of MS Dhoni has to be 'finisher'. He has mastered and perfected art so much that death overs without Dhoni seem an ignominy. With India reduced to 87/5, the former captain resorted to his usual tactic of biding his time to launch an attack. But by then Pandya started his blitzkrieg and Dhoni played second-fiddle to the rampant Baroda all-rounder.

Once Pandya departed in the 41st over, with India just about scrambling over 200, the onus was on Dhoni to take India to a decent score. His first four of the innings came after facing 66 balls and completed his half-century, adding zero more to his boundary count. But then the wicket-keeper batsman got stuck into a haphazard James Faulkner, taking him on for three fours and two sixes in the final three overs. Even though Faulkner got rid of Dhoni in the final over, he had given India some much-needed impetus and also completed a century of half-centuries across formats.

Yet another 100 for @msdhoni! This time in front of the stumps! Congratulations on a century of 50s Mahi ?? pic.twitter.com/2yPf1wUnW7

— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 17, 2017

#2 Pandya hurls his secret weapon, the knuckle-ball

Pandya put Australia in a spot of bother with a couple of quick wickets

Hardik Pandya is not one to be sidelined from the proceedings on the field. If not with the bat, he turns up with the ball or on the field to make his presence felt. Today, Pandya was just in the mood to underline his role as the premier all-rounder in the Indian team. Following up a swashbuckling 83, Pandya returned with the ball after the rains to reduce Australia to 29/3.

He nearly had the big fish, Steven Smith, lbw with a ball that nipped off the surface to rap the Aussie captain on the pads. Despite Kohli's review, umpire's call saved Smith but his joy did not last long.

Pandya can do wrong....not today. Two wickets in two overs. Knuckle ball-a new edition to his repertoire ???? #IndvAus

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) September 17, 2017

The very next ball, Pandya unleashed the knuckle-ball, a delivery made famous by Zaheer Khan during the 2011 World Cup. Smith top-edged an attempted swipe to Bumrah at short fine-leg to be caught out for 1. Travis Head followed as Pandya angled one across the southpaw to eke out an outside edge that Dhoni pouched safely. Once again it was the knuckle-ball that did the trick for Pandya.

#1 Wrist spinners likely to keep Jadeja on the bench

Chahal returned with impressive figures of 3/30

India went into the game with both their wrist spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, and the duo repaid the faith of their skipper with a combined haul of five wickets. Kuldeep was taken to the cleaners by a rampant Maxwell, but the chinaman got his act together when he sent back Marcus Stoinis to add to his earlier scalp of David Warner.

Chahal, on the other hand, was even more impressive, mixing up his leg-spinners and googlies with immaculate control. He sent back the volatile Maxwell, before running through Australia's lower order to finish with 3/30. Jadeja, who replaced an injured Axar Patel, is likely to remain on the bench at least for the next game if these two keep bowling as well as today.