A match-winning partnership from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, along with a near-capacity crowd cheering India on to victory in their campaign opener, will hopefully bring the ongoing World Cup to life after rows of empty seats in the previous games had stained the hosts' image.
Following a bit of a wobble after an impressive show with the ball in hot and humid conditions, Team India ensured the MA Chidambaram Stadium crowd left smiling as they defeated Australia by six wickets, beginning their Cup journey with a win with 52 balls to spare.
On a two-paced track where shot-making wasn’t easy and spinners got a fair amount of assistance, India’s spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja (3/28), Kuldeep Yadav (2/42) and Ravichandran Ashwin (1/34) were instrumental in bowling Australia out for 199 after the visitors won the toss and opted to bat. Jasprit Bumrah (2/35) too did a commendable job, especially with the subtle away movement earning him the crucial scalp of Mitch Marsh first up.
In pursuit of 200, India were three down with only two runs on the board halfway into the second over, owing to some atrocious shot selection by opener Ishan Kishan (replacing the indisposed Shubman Gill) and Shreyas Iyer, who came in at No.4.
Kohli too had his heart in his mouth when he mishit one straight up when on 12, only for Marsh to make a mess of it. The bowler, Josh Hazlewood, who had earlier picked up skipper Rohit Sharma and Iyer, could only stare with frustration while the partisan crowd heaved a sigh of relief.
If not for that dropped chance, Australia would certainly have been able to exert even more pressure defending a low total.
Following that let-off, it was a battle of not just attrition, but also patience and temperament for Kohli (85), who went on to go past Sachin Tendulkar and become India’s highest-scorer in ICC (ODI) events. One has to give the former India skipper credit for focusing on grinding the rival bowling attack.
A steady Rahul (97 not out), consistent since his comeback from injury, made matters easier for Kohli and kept him calm. He helped in putting the pressure back on the Australian bowlers. Besides, Rahul showed precision in tackling Australia's lone specialist spinner Adam Zampa, who was pedestrian at the same time.
Hitting through the line was a strict no-no on this pitch. Importantly, both Kohli and Rahul barely attempted that in their massive 165-run fourth-wicket stand.
Captain Rohit, who admitted he was "nervous" at the beginning of the chase, lauded Kohli and Rahul's effort. "Hats off to Virat and KL," he said.
Ravindra Jadeja celebrates after dismissing Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne on Sunday. PTI photo
Jadeja's spell
David Warner and Steve Smith had adapted well to the pitch that helped Australia reach 110/2 in the 28th over. Smith's presence at that stage mattered a lot for Australia after Kuldeep dismissed Warner.
But that's when Jadeja, who knows these conditions all too well, spun one sharply to clean up Smith before a poor shot from Marnus Labuschagne earned the left-armer his second. Jadeja got this third foxing a clueless Alex Carey. Australia just couldn't recover following that spell from Jadeja.
