Tambaram:Â Â India has won its opening encounter of this world cup 2023 against arch rival Australia.
The victory came in the 42nd over, as it chased down a total of 200 runs with six wickets in hands. KL Rahul, unbeaten at 97, and Virat Kohli who scored 85, were the architechts of th run-chase. They stitched a partnership of 165 runs. The team had begun the run chase on a shaky ground, with Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer getting out at zero.Â
Earlier, Australia had won the toss and decided to bat first in hot and humid conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk) in Chennai. Ishan Kishan replaced illnesses-ridden Shubman Gill in Indian playing XI while Ravichandran Ashwin also finds a place at his home ground.
Despite losing the toss, India bowlers didn’t disappoint and gave a very tough time to the Australian batters, who could be seen struggling from the very beginning.
Apart from David Warner (41) and Steve Smith (46), not other batter could stand on the Chepauk pitch for long, all thanks to the Indian bowling attack. By 49.3 overs, Australian batters could score only 199 runs and were all out. India now need only 200 runs at 4 rpo.
For India, each bowler showcased their magic. Ravinddra Jadeja was the most successful bowlers, who picked 3 wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav picked 2 wickets each. Also, Ravichandran Ashwin, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Siraj all clinched one wicket each too.Â
