Australia triumphed over India in a rain-affected One Day International (ODI), with India collapsing to a mere 45 runs for the loss of four wickets before a prolonged rain delay ended their innings prematurely. Star batsman Virat Kohli was dismissed for a duck, contributing to India’s struggles in the match held on March 15, 2024, in overcast conditions.
Both teams opted to bowl first when Mitch Marsh, the Australian captain, won the coin toss. The Australian pace attack quickly made their presence felt. Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, fell early, caught at second slip off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood, who finished with figures of 2-20 from seven overs.
Kohli entered the crease amid high hopes but could only manage eight balls before he edged a delivery from Mitchell Starc to a diving Cooper Connolly at gully. This dismissal left India in a precarious position at 3-25, with alarm bells ringing as Shubman Gill followed suit, dismissed for 10 runs by Nathan Ellis after nicking a ball down the leg side.
A brief rain delay offered India a momentary respite, but the situation worsened when players were forced off the field again for over two hours, with the score standing at 3-37. Upon resumption, Shreyas Iyer managed to hit Hazlewood for a boundary, but he too fell quickly, gloving a delivery to the wicketkeeper and reducing India to 4-45.
Some resistance came from KL Rahul, who scored 38 runs off 31 balls, and Axar Patel, who added 31 runs from 38 balls. Debutant Nitish Reddy scored an unbeaten 19 runs off 11 balls but the total proved insufficient to pose a threat to the Australian side.
In an impressive display during his ODI debut, Matt Renshaw took three catches, while fellow debutant Mitch Owen contributed with figures of 2-20.
This ODI series may mark the final international appearances for Indian veterans Kohli and Sharma, who have retired from Test cricket and T20 internationals. There are uncertainties regarding their participation in the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup set to be held in Africa.
As Australia gears up for the next encounter, they will look to build on their momentum, while India will need to regroup and find a way to bounce back in the series.
