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The men in yellow had a tough outing at Chepauk, but this time, the crowd was certainly not disappointed that they did. That's all from the match station for now. This is Pratyush and Bala signing off. Goodbye!
Tough day for Australia in the middle. They are going to get at least some surfaces similar to this one. The batters are going to have their work cut out in tackling the spinners. But Adam Zampa being off colours would have sent an even more worrying message in that changing room. The leggie is going to be key for the fortunes of the side in this World Cup. The sooner he hits his strides, the better will it be for Australia.
Well, then. Just the start India were looking for to get the World Cup campaign underway. They ticked a lot of boxes tonight. The three-men spin attack is going to be the main threat for most of the opposition as the tournament progresses. The performance by KL Rahul, who is coming back from an injury layoff, is another big positive. He hardly put a foot wrong in the chase and was quite tidy with the gloves as well. And the knock by Virat Kohli, well, it's just what you expect from the man in an ODI run chase, isn't it?
Rohit Sharma (India captain): Pretty exciting, good feeling to come out on top. A good way to start the tournament, pleasing to see. It was magnificent (bowling and fielding). We take a lot of pride in that part of our game. We really really put our efforts into that. In conditions like this, it can be difficult. We wanted to do the job at hand and we did that perfectly. We knew there would be some assistance for everyone. The spinners bowled in the right areas and the pacers got some help as well. (Nervous at 3/2?) Yes, I was a bit nervous, to be honest. You don't want to start your innings like that. Some loose shots there but that happens. When it's a small target, you want to get off the mark and score as many runs as you can in the powerplay. Hats off to KL and Virat, they got us over the line. (Adapting to conditions) We're going to play on different pitches and different conditions. That is going to be the biggest challenge for us. We've been talking about it in our group and everyone needs to be prepared to contribute whenever called upon. (Crowd) Chennai never disappoints. I can understand the players fielding in that heat but for the crowd to sit in the heat and cheering says a lot.
Pat Cummins (captain, Australia): We were short by at least 50 odd (runs). It's going to be tough, defending 200 (runs) on any wicket. (They have a) really good bowling attack. The spinners were tough work. It's a surface were you need to try and get in. We had them 3 for none basically. 20 overs of spin was crucial. Another 50 runs on the board, and it would have been different (On dropping Virat Kohli) Not ideal, but it happens. 4 for 10 would have been a dream start. (On Josh Hazlewood) He is class, poses a lot of questions to the opening batsmen. A bit of nibble. He was fantastic today. You have to review this one. Yes, it was a tough surface, but what you would do differently. It's just one game out of nine. No regrets (on the decision at the toss).
The whole of India held its breath when the ball went up off the top edge of Virat Kohli early in his knock. Mohammed Siraj was no different from a normal fan on that occasion. Have a look at his reaction before Marsh dropped that catch!
KL Rahul is the Player of the Match. Here is what he has to say: (Conversations with Kohli at 2/3) There wasn't a lot of conversation, to be honest. I had just had a shower and thought I could put my feet up. Virat said there's a bit of help in this wicket, so we have to play proper shots and think like we're Test cricket for a little time. (Pitch) I think it remained the same for most part of the game. There was a bit of help for the fast bowlers in the start and the spinners came in. I think dew played a part in the end. The ball did come on a little better but the wicket was still two-paced. It was a good cricket wicket and that's what you get in the southern parts of India. (Reaction to the winning shot) I hit it too well. I was just calculating how I could get to a hundred. Hopefully, some other time I can get the hundred.
India win by 6 wickets with 8.4 overs remaining
KL Rahul 97*(115) | Ravindra Jadeja 3/28 Steven Smith 46(71) | Josh Hazlewood 3/38
The target of 200 runs did not look threatening at the outset. The only chance for Australia was to get some early wickets and attack in the middle with Adam Zampa. They ticked off the first box but failed miserably in the second. The Australian pacers sent some shivers running through the Indian camp, dismissing three out of the top four before a run came off the bat. India were reeling at that point for 2/3, but it wasn't to be Australia's night.
The start was tough for Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. They started off in a circumspect manner, soaking in all the pressure. They put on just 27 runs in the first 10 overs and saw off the faster men until the conditions eased. Josh Hazlewood produced a false stroke off Virat Kohli, but Mitchell Marsh failed to hold on, which proved to be quite costly in the end.
Once the new ball lost its shine, the batting became more and more easy. The Australian spinners couldn't get a similar purchase off the surface as their Indian counterparts did. The Australian hopes were banking on Adam Zampa, but he had an indifferent outing tonight. Zampa failed to find any rhythm and kept erring on fuller and shorter sides. Maxwell was tidy, but never looked threatening. Hazlewood was the only bowler who looked menacing for Australia.
But the accolades for the night is for the pair of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. They made batting look easier and easier as the game went on. The target wasn't huge and that meant that they just shut off all the risks. The pair put on the highest partnership ever by an Indian duo against Australia in World Cup cricket. Virat Kohli, as he has done time and again in chases, took India to a winning position, but couldn't quite see the team through. Hardik Pandya joined KL Rahul and completed the final rites. If you keep the jitter at the start of the chase, this could well be the perfect start to the campaign India would have been looking for.
That is as sublime a shot as you would see to finish off a game. Even Rahul is in disbelief!
41.2 Pat Cummins to KL Rahul, SIX! India kickstart their campaign with a convincing win! Rahul wanted to chip it over extra cover but such has been his timing all day, that the ball has gone sailing over the ropes instead! He can hardly believe it too. With his scintillating knock of 97*, he makes sure India win the game by 6 wickets!
41.1 Pat Cummins to KL Rahul, back of a length in the off-stump channel. Rahul stands tall to punch it into the covers, no run
India are well and truly going hammer and tongs now. They want to finish this off in a jiffy. Just 5 runs away from the target now.
41
overs
195/4score
6
4
1
1
0
1
runs
KL Rahul*
91(113)
Hardik Pandya
11(8)
Glenn Maxwell
0/33
40.6 Glenn Maxwell to KL Rahul, into the pitch at the middle stump. Rahul knocks it off the back foot and picks up a single at long-on
40.5 Glenn Maxwell to KL Rahul, flatter and quicker on the good length outside off. Rahul punches it to cover, no run
40.4 Glenn Maxwell to Hardik Pandya, flatter on the good length outside off. Pandya taps it through point for a single
40.3 Glenn Maxwell to KL Rahul, steps out to make it a low full toss. Bunting it to Maxwell's left as he got a hand to it, unable to prevent the single
Well, it doesn't matter much how many men you have outside the ring if it is going to get deposited in the stands.
40.2 Glenn Maxwell to KL Rahul, FOUR! India are only two hits away now. Another one right in the slot. It's stand and deliver stuff from Rahul, mauling this past mid-off to find the boundary ropes
Video
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KL Rahul
*
Glenn Maxwell
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
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