This was the first One-Day International played between India and Australia, and India came out on top. At Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, the home team prevailed in a low-scoring thriller by the slim margin of five wickets. Hardik Pandya took charge of the team in place of Rohit Sharma. With the toss in their favor, India opted to bowl first. Mitchell Marsh got Australia off to a great start, and they never looked back. He hit five sixes and ten fours while racking up 81 runs in just 65 balls.
Once he was removed, though, the Australian team quickly crumbled. They were reduced to 129/2 and then bowled out for 188 runs in just 35.4 overs. India also got off to a shaky start during the chase. They only managed to score 39 runs in 10.2 overs before losing four wickets. KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja put together 108 runs to help India win without losing a wicket. In 39.5 overs, the home team scored 191 runs.
IND vs AUS: Salman Butt accuses BCCI for KL Rahul facing heavy criticism
KL India’s player with the most points was Rahul. He was still in the game with 75 runs after 91 balls. He hit seven fours and one six. Many former Indian cricketers, cricket experts, and fans praised the 30-year-old after his tough knock. But it wasn’t long ago that Rahul got a lot of criticism for his bad performance in all formats. After failing to score in the first two tests against Australia, he was even kicked off the test team.
Because of this, many people went after him on social media. Salman Butt, who used to be the captain of Pakistan, has praised Rahul and said that the BCCI is to blame for Rahul getting a lot of criticism. Butt said in a video he put on his YouTube channel,
“KL Rahul was criticized a lot during his lean patch. I believe that India’s selection committee is to blame for Rahul’s criticism. They kept on playing him consistently, even though he was out of form. They exposed him by doing so. Yes, you need to give confidence to your players, but it can also be done through communication, and you can save them from unnecessary criticism.”
Rahul led India through a hard chase. For the fourth wicket, he and Hardik (25 runs) added 44 runs. Then a hundred without a loss would end the game. He had already been fired from his job as vice captain because of his bad play. In the second game, India will play Australia on Sunday in Trivandrum.
