Anurag Kumar
On Sunday, during the initial ten minutes of India’s innings, the disbelieving roar of a partisan Chepauk crowd that had reached its midpoint transformed into a stunned stillness. The cause? With the loss of two overs, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer all failed to open their accounts, reducing India to 2/3. After India had dismissed Australia for 199 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium via a remarkable bowling effort headed by their spinners, this was not intended to occur.
However, are Australians ever the weaker party, especially during a World Cup? That which ensued was an abundance of apprehensive moments for both KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. When the ball appeared to linger in the air indefinitely due to a miscued pull by Josh Hazlewood (he was on 12 balls), and Mitchell Marsh, racing in from square leg, made a mistake, Kohli was never more anxious. As soon as the ball made contact with the grass, the entire audience sighed a sigh of relief.
During the opening surge, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood each delivered a wicket-taking delivery, but they were also aided by the India top order’s imprudent shot selection. Kishan attacked Starc with a full-throated swinger that ought to have been left alone. David Warner adroitly clung to a Hazlewood length delivery that Iyer hit erratically from cover.
Kohli, too, initially executed strokes that were perilous. A different day, one of his ethereal drives might have fallen victim to the anxious slip fielders. If time had been different, Marsh would have maintained his position. But that day had passed. On the contrary, Kohli and Rahul managed the challenging phase with equal parts determination and elegance, combining for a crucial partnership of 165 runs off 214 deliveries. It provided the foundation for India’s six-wicket victory in their World Cup debut.
Following initial nerves at the beginning of India’s innings, the official attendance of 32,531 began to regain its composure in the 15th over, thanks to consecutive boundaries hit by Kohli through midwicket. More applause ensued in the eighteenth over when Rahul hit leggie Adam Zampa for three fours in his opening over of thirteen runs. The initial two were nimble late cutters that passed quickly through the 30-yard circle.
Innings accelerates
As the partnership expanded, the frequency of ones and twos, which are essential components of a signature Kohli innings, also increased. At the same time that India reached 100 runs in the 26th over, Kohli reached fifty off of seventy-five deliveries. Rahul was subsequently dismissed for one after 72 deliveries with a deep point.
Applause was elicited in response to even these nudges and nurdles as India approached their target. Zampa and off-spinner Glenn Maxwell simply did not have the same effect as the spinners of India. The fact that the majority of Australian fielders had towels hidden behind their pants may have contributed to the diminished grip and spin of the ball compared to the initial phase of the match.
Ultimately, it was Hazlewood who bowled Kohli out at midwicket on 85. India, on the other hand, required only 33 more points to secure victory. Those runs were quickly eradicated. Pat Cummins was struck for six by Hardik Pandya over a long-off, whereas Rahul hit Maxwell for six and four off consecutive deliveries. It was fitting that Rahul defeated Cummins in style with a six-over cover.
Although India’s top order instability may prompt self-reflection, their bowling performance was commendable. As soon as he settled on an impeccable channel outside off-stump, Jasprit Bumrah stifled Australia’s scoring options. This set the tone. The immediate benefit was observed as Marsh was dismissed in the third over. Although the length was marginally shorter than his previous deliveries, Kohli still managed to secure the edge with a precise catch by moving to his left.
Aussies start slow
Although early on, David Warner and Steve Smith hit a few exquisite boundaries, their rate of scoring never ensnared India. Despite delivering three boundaries to Pandya in his opening over, their score after seven overs stood at a mere 29/1.
At that moment, Sharma made his inaugural foray into spinning. Chennai native R Ashwin then entered the fray, and Smith returned to cut off his third delivery, which was short of length. It was simply that the ball rebounded further than anticipated and struck his bat. Smith defended tentatively the following ball of comparable length, which ejected abruptly from the surface and carried away a puff of dust.
Following the powerplay, the scoring rate decelerated even more as the spin triumvirate of Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja laboriously pursued their objectives. Kuldeep bowled and captured Warner, while Alex Carey, Marnus Labuschagne, and Smith were all dismissed by Jadeja’s magnificent left-arm spin.
In the 20th over, following Labuschagne’s nudging Jadeja towards fine leg for four, it required an additional 74 deliveries for the Australians to reach their next boundary. At that juncture, Australia had suffered the loss of five wickets. At this moment, all that remained were Maxwell and Cameron Green. For the sixth wicket, they amassed 21 runs in 37 balls, but Kuldeep and Ashwin both hit within the space of three deliveries. Kuldeep delivered an elegant and swift delivery that penetrated the air quickly, striking Maxwell in the leg socket. Ashwin, who had performed admirably throughout, was only fortunate in that his wicket was taken on arguably his worst delivery. Although it was short and wide, Pandya made a point save on Green’s cut shot.
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In the final stages, Mohammed Siraj, Bumrah, and Pandya returned to dispatch the lower-order, ensuring that each Indian bowler concluded the match with a minimum of one wicket.
