1st ODI: Indian bowlers restrict Australia to modest total

The Indian bowlers once again underlined their collective might by restricting Australia to a modest 236/7 in 50 overs in the first ODI here on Saturday.

Pacer Mohammed Shami led the attack with figures of 2/44 in 10 overs as chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav (2/46 in 10 overs) Ravindra Jadeja (0/33 in 10 overs) and Kedar Jadhav (1/31) made up for a rare off-day by Jasprit Bumrah (2/60 in 10 overs).

Usman Khawaja (50) and Glenn Maxwell (40) scored the runs for the visitors but never looked in full flow as the Indian attack displayed its versatility.

Shami was on song from start to finish as he bowled a brilliant wicketless first spell which was seen off by Marcus Stoinis (37) and Khawaja who added 87 runs for the second wicket after the early dismissal of skipper Aaron Finch for a duck.

The Powerplay yielded just 38 runs with Stoinis and Khawaja then changing gears off Vijay Shankar's bowling.

In the next five overs, Australia scored 33 runs and looked like regaining ground when Jadhav (1/31 from 7 overs) got a breakthrough with a half-tracker which Stoinis looked to whip away through the mid-wicket region.

Khawaja completed his sixth half-century in ODIs but couldn't continue, holing out to Shankar at deep mid-wicket boundary off Kuldeep.

Maxwell joined Peter Handscomb at 97/3 and the pair stemmed the rot somewhat.

Kuldeep them removed Handscomb with a tossed up delivery outside off stump that beat the batsman who came a long way down the track for Dhoni to complete an easy stumping.

India then took the game by the scruff of the neck in the second Powerplay with Jadhav and Jadeja checking the run flow.

Shami castled Maxwell and debutant Ashton Turner (21) to leave the Aussies staring at a sub-200 score. But Alex Carey (36 off 37 not out) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (28 off 27) added 62 runs for the seventh wicket.

Brief scores: Australia 236/7 (Usman Khawaja 50, Glenn Maxwell 40; Mohammed Shami (2/44), Kuldeep Yadav (2/46) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/60) vs India

--IANS

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