Virat Kohli and KL Rahul in record stand after early setback chasing 200!
October 9, 2023: Team India started its World Cup campaign
against archrival Australia in style, but not without its share of drama. While
the top order fell for nothing, the chase master Virat Kohli was back to what
he does best with another perfectly timed innings of 85, was ably supported by
India’s wicketkeeper bat KL Rahul. The six Indian bowlers had a near-perfect
day as well, with each of them chipping in with a wicket.
After Australia won the toss and elected to bat on a hot Chennai afternoon, Mitchell Marsh fell for a duck to an outstanding catch by Kohli off Jasprit Bumrah in the third over. The experienced duo of Warner and Smith negated the threat posed by Indian pacers and spinners to stitch a 69-run partnership, but both fell to the guile of Indian spinners.
The spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and the local boy
Ravichandran Ashwin shared six wickets on a pitch that assisted spinners
throughout the game. Australia did well to end the first innings on 199, having
collapsed from 110/2 to 140/7, with captain Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc
adding vital runs in the end overs.
India’s innings started on a dramatic note
(first three wickets falling for two runs), with Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and
Shreyas Iyer getting out for a duck. The start could have been disastrous had
Mitchell Marsh held on to a relatively straightforward catch from Kohli of a
mistimed pull shot of Hazelwood. After a momentary lapse in concentration,
Kohli orchestrated a remarkable comeback alongside Rahul, stitching together a
165-run partnership that led India to an impressive six-wicket victory. With
the target not overly daunting, both the batters used their experience and
rebuilt the innings through a judicious mix of singles and twos. Although both
the batters did not reach the individual landmark of scoring 100 in a World Cup
match, the team management would be pleased with two points on the board.
India’s next match is against lower-ranked
Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, which is expected to be a high-scoring
encounter, and India may look to up its net run rate.
- Girish, Team Pure Cricket
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Pics: Internet
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