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Australia took on India in the first match of the ODI cricket series at the MCG.
If the leap from the 20-over to the 50-over format was too great, today was a nice middle ground, with rain reducing the match to 32 overs a side.
David Hussey was the star of Australia’s innings, slamming a late unbeaten 61 from just 30 balls. He was ably supported by his brother Michael, and by Matthew Wade, who was named man of the match by a sympathetic panel.
Australia initially looked in trouble after MS Dhoni invited them to bat, limping through 11 overs for just 35, at the cost of David Warner and Ricky Ponting.
While the Husseys would later dominate, it was India’s own nomenclatural pair, the Kumars, who were in control early. Between them, Praveen and Vinay bowled over 40 dot balls, and totally dried up the scoring.
They couldn’t dry up the heavens though, and after those 11 overs, three hours were lost for rain. India stayed on top for a few overs after the break, until they got rid of Michael Clarke.
When Michael Hussey came to the wicket, things changed abruptly. Hussey turned in his classic Michael Bevan impersonation, finding the gaps, turning ones into twos, and scoring the odd boundary, to score 45 from 32 balls without ever seeming overly aggressive.
He combined brilliantly with Wade, as the wicketkeeper and makeshift opener crafted an ODI half-century on debut to go with a half-century on his T20I debut last Wednesday night. Together they put on 73, before the debutant was bowled by leg-spinner Rahul Sharma.
Michael Hussey departed soon after, leaving it to his brother to clean up late. David Hussey put on an unbeaten 62-run partnership with Dan Christian, of which Christian scored just 17, with David crashing four boundaries and three sixes on his way to 61* at a strike rate of over 200.
32 overs had netted Australia 216, as Ravindra Jadeja, the man sold in the IPL for over $US 2 million the night before, conceded 17 from the final over.
India never threatened the target of 217, with Tendulkar out in the second over and Gambhir in the fourth. From there it was a procession, slumping to 5/77 to effectively surrender the match, before some late swinging from the tail took them to 151 before being bowled out in the 30th over.
Ryan Harris bowled with menace and intent, though 0/28 from five overs didn’t really reflect it. Mitchell Starc was the main man, getting both openers to snare 2/33 from six. Xavier Doherty grabbed a couple, and Christian took a wicket on debut, as Clint MacKay took the main share of the spoils with 4/20 from 4.4.
For India, Virat Kohli’s 31 was the top score, and he was the only batsman who really looked capable of taking them home. When he departed, to one of two fine Ponting catches at backward point, India’s hopes went with him.
The triangular series is now officially underway again, after several years of bilateral contests saw it held in storage. Sri Lanka is the third team to contest the trophy, and their campaign gets underway against India this Wednesday in Perth, before Australia takes on Sri Lanka on Friday.
All matches will be live-blogged here on The Roar.
Australia will look to continue its winning summer, and the implications for some players will be huge. Wade has been included ahead of Brad Haddin, and is making the limited-overs spot his own. If he does, the Test role could really be one Haddin drop away.
Australia’s veterans proved their worth with the bat today, while the young bowling unit was admirable in the field. India had a bit of a boost after drawing the brief Twenty20 series 1-1, but will need to reground and find their confidence quickly after an unfortunate result for them.
Who can prevail? Keep tuning in to our live blogs over the next month of one-day cricket. And if you’d like more of the story of what happened today, just keep scrolling down over today’s live commentary.