Rohit Sharma during the Cricket World Cup 2023 match between India and Australia© AFP
India were off to a horrible start to the run chase against Australia in their opening match of Cricket World Cup 2023 on Sunday with skipper Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer all losing their wickets without scoring a single run. This was the second instance in Cricket World Cup history that both of India’s openers were dismissed for a duck in the same match. Before Kishan and Rohit, the dubious feat was achieved by Krishnamachari Srikkanth and Sunil Gavaskar who were dismissed without disturbing the scorers against Zimbabwe in the 1983 Cricket World Cup. That match is incidentally etched in history books thanks to a stupendous 175-run knock by Kapil Dev that left the cricketing world stunned. (Cricket World Cup Points Table | Cricket World Cup – India’s Full Schedue)
India beat Australia by six wickets to begin their ICC World Cup campaign on a positive note.
Half-centuries from Virat Kohli and KL Rahul powered India’s chase of 200 after the home team lost three wickets with just two runs on the board. Thanks to Kohli and Rahul’s 165-run partnership for the fourth wicket, India completed the task in 41.2 overs.
Earlier, India bowled out Australia for 199 following a disciplined effort with the ball.
Captain Pat Cummins opted to bat first after winning the toss but things didn’t go as planned for the visitors, who were reeling at 119 for five in the 30th over.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (3/38) did the bulk of the damage with his middle over blows.
Steven Smith top-scored for the Aussies with 46 off 71 balls, while David Warner made 41 from 52 balls.
(With PTI inputs)
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