Australia Beats India in Rain-Hit Perth ODI, Takes 1-0 Lead
Australia secured a convincing victory over India in the first ODI at Optus Stadium in Perth, overcoming multiple rain interruptions to take a 1-0 lead in the series. The match, plagued by intermittent showers, saw Australia chase down a DLS-adjusted target of 131 with relative ease, winning by seven wickets.
India, after losing the toss and being put in to bat under overcast conditions, struggled against the Australian pace attack. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc made early inroads, removing key batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cheaply. Sharma edged a Hazlewood delivery to slip, while Kohli sliced a drive off Starc to backward point for a duck – his first in ODIs in Australia. Shubman Gill, also fell early, leaving India reeling at 25 for 3.
The first rain delay arrived after just 8.5 overs. Play resumed briefly before another downpour halted proceedings for over two hours. The match was eventually reduced to 35 overs a side. Shreyas Iyer’s attempted aggression was short-lived, as Hazlewood dismissed him for the seventh time in 13 games. Further rain breaks led to another reduction, with the match shortened to 26 overs per side.
Axar Patel provided some impetus with a quickfire 31, and KL Rahul contributed a brisk 38. Debutant Nitish Reddy added late fireworks with a pair of sixes, lifting India to a total of 136 for 9. They managed to score 84 runs in the final 9.2 overs after the last rain interruption, a minor consolation in an otherwise disappointing batting performance.
Australia’s chase began poorly with Arshdeep Singh dismissing Travis Head early. However, captain Mitchell Marsh counter-attacked aggressively, smashing multiple sixes to seize control of the chase. Although Axar Patel removed Matthew Short, Marsh remained solid, guiding Australia towards victory.
Marsh remained unbeaten on 46, while Josh Philippe contributed a quick 37 as Australia reached the revised target in 21.1 overs. The victory marked Australia’s first ODI win at Optus Stadium.
The defeat meant Shubman Gill joined Virat Kohli as the only Indian captains to lose their first games as captain in all three formats.
Brief scores:
- India 136/9 in 26 overs (KL Rahul 38, Axar Patel 31; Josh Hazlewood 2-20, Matthew Kuhnemann 2-26)
- Australia 131/3 in 21.1 overs (Mitchell Marsh 46*; Axar Patel 1-19)
- Australia won by seven wickets (via DLS method)
Disclaimer: This news article is based on publicly available information and may be subject to updates.
