Dhoni special, guiding role lift India
A vintage MS Dhoni guided India to 281/7 from 87/5 with the help of a 66-ball 83 from Hardik Pandya in the first ODI against Australia at the Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.
The match started with Australia wresting the initiative by quickly dismissing opener Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey but India inched back through two big partnerships featuring Dhoni.
The most productive was the 118-run partnership for the sixth wicket between MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya that took time to flourish but ended with a flurry of boundaries. India could have crossed 300 had Pandya been a little more cautious, but the home side would have been in the doldrums had the allrounder not taken some risks.
Australia though impressed by turning the India batsmen’s strengths into their Achilles heel. Rahane was done in by a wide delivery that swung away after pitching. The urge to drive a wide Nathan Coulter-Nile delivery spelt doom for Kohli. Then Rohit Sharma was caught at deep square-leg off a hook, a shot he has rarely missedtimed.
Having started slow, India’s innings was given some momentum by Rohit Sharma. James Faulkner was greeted to the crease by a boundary cut so fiercely by Sharma that the fielder in the deep had no chance of stopping it. That was the first time Rohit Sharma looked comfortable after a 20-ball struggle during when he had lost Manish Pandey to another full delivery.
Only boundaries could have made up for the slow start. But the outfield too didn’t help. Rendered heavy due to overnight rain, it didn’t provide enough legs to the ball, meaning India batsmen had to put in more effort in running between the wickets. Trust the Australians to be up to the task of cutting down even the few hard-earned boundaries.
Barring a few misfields, Australia didn’t drop their catches. The only chance of a run out could have seen the back of Dhoni early when Kedar Jadhav, four years younger to the former India captain, refused a run when Dhoni was half-way down.
That brought on Pandya who looked keen to settle down. Having done, he launched an assault against leg-spinner Adam Zampa that caught Australia by surprise. From 35, Pandya completed his half-century in three hits as 24 runs came in the 36th over. Pandya looked primed for more but Zampa avenged the humiliation with a flatter delivery that resulted in a top edge.
Australia’s death bowling was quite disciplined at first. Coulter-Nile showed how to use angles well when he bowled around the wicket to Dhoni and pitched it even further away from him.
James Faulkner messed up by bowling at Dhoni’s pads, allowing him to shuffle across and get into his zone.
FIGHTBACK Former India skipper plays the finisher’s role to perfection after 118run stand with Hardik Pandya