Comfortable win: Smith, Bailey make it 1-0 to Australia
Duo score centuries to chase down India’s 309-3, powered by Rohit Sharma’s 171
Bailey and Smith came together with Australia in trouble at 2-21 but their 242-run stand ensured they chased down the 310-run target with room to spare. PHOTO: AFP
PERTH:
Steve Smith and George Bailey both scored centuries as Australia cruised to a five-wicket win over India in the first ODI at the WACA ground on Tuesday.
After Indian opener Rohit Sharma scored an unbeaten 171 to lead his country to an imposing 309-3, Australia got off to a rocky start when debutant left-arm seamer Barinder Sran removed both openers in his first three overs.
Playing on a lifeless pitch which offered nothing for the bowlers, Bailey and Smith played brilliantly to frustrate the Indian attack.
They rotated the strike throughout the innings to keep the score moving, taking quick singles and hitting boundaries when they needed to increase the pace.
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Bailey had most of the strike early on and reached his century before his captain, taking just 106 balls.
Smith began to accelerate and followed Bailey to three figures soon after, off only 97 balls.
Bailey eventually fell when he tried to smash another six off Ravi Ashwin and was caught on the boundary by Bhuvneshwar Kumar but Smith continued his incredible vein of form.
He smashed his way to 149 but, with only two runs needed for victory, chipped Sran to cover where Virat Kohli claimed an easy catch, leaving James Faulkner to hit the winning run.
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“I thought we did well in the field to restrict them to 309,” said Smith. “They looked like they were going to get 350.”
India must have been confident of defending their total after Sran’s impressive start. However, the ease with which Australia chased the score down showed that they had not scored quickly enough in the middle of their innings and were at least 20 runs short of a competitive total.
“It’s important that after you score 300 runs you bowl well and I think in the middle overs when the spinners were bowling they gave away too many runs,” said Dhoni.
Earlier, Sharma and Kohli (91) shared a 207-run partnership for the second wicket against a toothless Australian attack.
Sharma smashed 13 fours and cleared the boundary seven times to the delight of the large contingent of Indian fans at the ground.
India to blood rookies in Australia, says skipper Dhoni
He built his innings steadily, bringing up his 50 from 63 balls, his century from 122 and his 150 from 155, mixing quick singles with some powerful boundary hitting.
It was the fourth time Sharma had scored 150 in ODIs, a record only surpassed by countryman Sachin Tendulkar.
Sharma’s 163-ball knock was the highest score by a visiting batsman against Australia, overtaking West Indies great Viv Richards’s unbeaten 153 in 1979 in Melbourne.
Sharma lost Kohli with the score on 243 and was joined at the crease by Dhoni, who joined in with 18 rapid runs before he was caught brilliantly at mid-on by Boland.
However, despite the late flourish, the Indians fell short and Australia were able to draw first blood in the five-match series.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2016.
Steve Smith and George Bailey both scored centuries as Australia cruised to a five-wicket win over India in the first ODI at the WACA ground on Tuesday.
After Indian opener Rohit Sharma scored an unbeaten 171 to lead his country to an imposing 309-3, Australia got off to a rocky start when debutant left-arm seamer Barinder Sran removed both openers in his first three overs.
Playing on a lifeless pitch which offered nothing for the bowlers, Bailey and Smith played brilliantly to frustrate the Indian attack.
They rotated the strike throughout the innings to keep the score moving, taking quick singles and hitting boundaries when they needed to increase the pace.
Hastings replaces rested Marsh in Brisbane ODI
Bailey had most of the strike early on and reached his century before his captain, taking just 106 balls.
Smith began to accelerate and followed Bailey to three figures soon after, off only 97 balls.
Bailey eventually fell when he tried to smash another six off Ravi Ashwin and was caught on the boundary by Bhuvneshwar Kumar but Smith continued his incredible vein of form.
He smashed his way to 149 but, with only two runs needed for victory, chipped Sran to cover where Virat Kohli claimed an easy catch, leaving James Faulkner to hit the winning run.
New faces: Paris, Boland set to debut against India
“I thought we did well in the field to restrict them to 309,” said Smith. “They looked like they were going to get 350.”
India must have been confident of defending their total after Sran’s impressive start. However, the ease with which Australia chased the score down showed that they had not scored quickly enough in the middle of their innings and were at least 20 runs short of a competitive total.
“It’s important that after you score 300 runs you bowl well and I think in the middle overs when the spinners were bowling they gave away too many runs,” said Dhoni.
Earlier, Sharma and Kohli (91) shared a 207-run partnership for the second wicket against a toothless Australian attack.
Sharma smashed 13 fours and cleared the boundary seven times to the delight of the large contingent of Indian fans at the ground.
India to blood rookies in Australia, says skipper Dhoni
He built his innings steadily, bringing up his 50 from 63 balls, his century from 122 and his 150 from 155, mixing quick singles with some powerful boundary hitting.
It was the fourth time Sharma had scored 150 in ODIs, a record only surpassed by countryman Sachin Tendulkar.
Sharma’s 163-ball knock was the highest score by a visiting batsman against Australia, overtaking West Indies great Viv Richards’s unbeaten 153 in 1979 in Melbourne.
Sharma lost Kohli with the score on 243 and was joined at the crease by Dhoni, who joined in with 18 rapid runs before he was caught brilliantly at mid-on by Boland.
However, despite the late flourish, the Indians fell short and Australia were able to draw first blood in the five-match series.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2016.