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In their opening match against Australia on Sunday, India opted for a lineup that included three specialist spinners, a decision that came as no surprise given the pitch’s inclination to assist spin bowling. Indian bowlers capitalized on this advantage, particularly the spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravichandran Ashwin. What did raise eyebrows, however, was the Australian batsmen being bundled out for a total just shy of 200, specifically 199, despite the combined effort of the spinners, who collectively claimed 6 wickets while conceding 104 runs in their 30 overs.
The local favorite, Ravindra Jadeja, who considers Chennai as his second home due to his association with the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, spearheaded the Indian bowling attack. He made a significant impact with three wickets in just two overs during the middle phase of the Australian innings, ultimately proving to be a game-changer.
Australia had been gradually recovering after an early setback with the dismissal of Mitchell Marsh for zero. David Warner and Steve Smith had begun to build a solid partnership, amassing 69 runs for the second wicket. However, when Indian captain Rohit Sharma introduced spinners from both ends, starting with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the eighth over, followed by left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the 13th over, the flow of runs began to dwindle.
After the initial three wickets fell for a mere 2 runs, it seemed like a daunting task for the Indian team to secure victory, with the odds favoring Australia. However, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul orchestrated a remarkable comeback by crafting vital innings. Kohli played a pivotal knock, amassing 85 runs from 116 balls, while Rahul remained unbeaten with a stellar 97 runs off 115 balls. On the strength of their remarkable partnership, India successfully chased down the target of 200 runs, achieving a total of 201 runs in 41.2 overs while losing 4 wickets.
Kohli and Rahul formed an exceptional partnership of 165 runs for the fifth wicket, displaying a blend of cautious batting and opportune run-scoring. Meanwhile, they capitalized on scoring opportunities whenever they arose. In terms of bowling, Josh Hazlewood was the standout performer for the Australian team, securing 3 wickets, while Mitchell Starc claimed 1 wicket.
Rohit Sharma ,India captain: Pretty exciting. Good feeling to come out on top. It was a good game to start the tournament for us. I thought it was magnificent, especially the fielding and we saw the effort from everyone today, conditions like this it would be tough. Our bowlers used the conditions perfectly and we knew there would be assistance for everyone, even the seamers got some reverse, the spinners bowled in the nice areas and all in all it was a great effort.
Pat Cummins ,Australia captain: At least 50-odd (short with the bat). It was tough, trying to defend anything under 200.. It was a really good bowling attack and their spinners made it tough work out there. I wasn’t too upset (with just two spinners), we had 20 overs of spin but some more runs on the board would have made the difference. I have already forgotten about it (the drop catch), it happens, 4/10 would have been a dream start.
