Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni heroics take India to 281/7 against Australia in first ODI

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  • Half-centuries from Pandya and Dhoni pulled India back into the game.

    Some sensational hitting from Hardik Pandya pulled the hosts back in the game after Nathan Coulter-Nile had burst through the top-order in the first ODI of the five-match series between India and Australia at Chennai.

    India skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch which his counterpart Steve Smith wasn’t so sure about.

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  • It was clear to see why once the Men in Blue took to the crease as the M.A. Chidamabaram pitch provided healthy aid and movement to the Aussie pace bowling attack of Coulter-Nile and Pat Cummins.

    It was the former though who struck gold when he had India’s stand-in opener Ajinkya Rahane driving casually to a wide out-swinger for a simple catch behind to wicket-keeper Matthew Wade.

    A similar delivery from Coulter-Nile outside off-stump had next man in, Kohli , driving away from his body only for Glen Maxwell to pull off a stunning catch at backward point with the Indian skipper back in the pavilion without opening his account.

    Manish Pandey, given a spot in the starting XI ahead of KL Rahul, failed to make the most of the opportunity when just two deliveries he knicked-behind a wide fuller delivery to Wade to leave India tattering at 11-3.

    Opener Rohit Sharma and Kedar Jhadav then put together a steady and watchful partnership of 53 runs for the fourth wicket before the former holed out to deep square-leg after hooking a shorter-delivery from Aussie all-rounder Marcus Stoinis.

    With India in all sorts of trouble at 64-4, the responsibility of anchoring the Indian innings home once again fell to stalwart MS Dhoni.

    Jhadav on the other hand failed to make the most of his start after trying to pull a short-ball from Stoinis only to gift a straight-forward catch to debutante Hilton Cartwright at mid-wicket.

    In came swashbuckling all-rounder Hardik Pandya and he completely changed the course of the game when at one point it looked like India might get bowled out within 40 overs.

    The 23-year-old was uncharacteristically cautious at the start of his innings as he went about building a steady partnership with Dhoni.

    Pandya though burst into life after the 30-over mark and he tore into Australia’s leg-spinner Adam Zampa in particular.

    The right-handed batsman hit the spinner for three consecutive sixes in the 39th over of the innings with 24 runs coming in total.

    Smith though tossed the ball again to Zampa an over later banking on his spinner getting the better of Pandya in the long battle.

    And it was Zampa who had the last laugh in the end when he had Pandya caught at short-third man after he tried to hit him for one six too many. Pandya departed for a well made 83 off just 66 deliveries after completely changing the complexion of the game.

    Dhoni took control of the innings post the departure of the all-rounder and after being ultra watchful for most of his time at the middle, the 37-year-old brought out his trademark blows at the death overs.

    In the end he would depart in the final over of India’s innings but not before he made made a brilliant 79 runs.

    Pandya’s and Dhoni’s heroics along with some plucky hitting from Bhuvneshwar Kumar at the death meant that India finished their innings at 281-7, setting Steve Smith’s men a stiff chase on pitch not that easy to bat on.

    Score: India 281/7 in 50 overs (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79, Coulter-Nile – 3-33)

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