IND VS AUS 1ST ODI

A long day, quite literally. What started as a full ODI ended up trimmed to just 26 overs a side, but it still delivered some solid entertainment, and at least we got a result. This marks India’s first ODI defeat of 2025 and a defeat for Shubman Gill in his first ODI game as the Indian skipper. That wraps up the first game of this three-match series, with Australia grabbing an early 1-0 lead. India will head back to the drawing board to figure out what went wrong, while the Aussies will be looking to wrap up the series in the next game. Both teams now shift to the eastern coast, with the second ODI set to take place in Adelaide. It will be played on 23rd October, Thursday, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 9 am IST (3.30 am GMT). But for now, you can follow the live action from the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, 2025, as India Women take on England Women in Indore. Hop on the other tab to follow that game. But from this match centre, we sign off. Take care, cheers.

The captain of Australia, Mitchell Marsh, is also the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his unbeaten knock of 46 runs. He collects the award and is all smiles. Says it was a strange game with all the weather around, but feels happy that they are up and running in this series. Adds that it is always nice to perform at home and that he loves to play in Western Australia a lot. Details that it was swinging around a little bit in both innings, and appreciates the way the young guys came and controlled the game. On Philippe's batting, Marsh says that he came out and made it look so easy and also made his task a bit easier. Ends by saying that he told his boys to just go out and enjoy, as they don't often get the chance to play in front of such a huge crowd.

The Indian skipper, Shubman Gill, steps up for a word and admits that it is never easy when you lose three wickets inside the Powerplay, as it immediately puts the team on the back foot, trying to play catch-up. Reflects that there are a lot of learnings and positives to take despite the loss. Notes with satisfaction that, while defending just around 130 in 26 overs, the team managed to take the game quite deep, which, in his view, shows great fight and resilience. Gill further expresses his gratitude to the supporters, mentioning that the team is extremely fortunate to have fans turning up in huge numbers wherever they play, creating an incredible atmosphere every single time.

... THE PRESENTATION CEREMONY ...

Earlier in the game, Australia put India in to set a target, and it turned into a trial by fire against a fierce Aussie pace attack that dismantled Rohit, Kohli, and skipper Gill inside the first ten overs. The Indian top order struggled to handle the typical bouncy Perth pitch. Australia's front line of attack, Starc and Hazlewood, hit the lines and lengths to perfection and got the ball moving early doors. Rain then took over, not once, not twice, but four times, with a bit of cricket sandwiched in between, before the game was truncated down to 26 overs a side. KL Rahul and Axar Patel shifted gears into T20 mode to stitch a 39-run stand, while Nitish Kumar Reddy’s spirited cameo helped India crawl to 136/9. Starc and Hazlewood were all fire early on, chipping in with big wickets. It was a productive ODI debut for Mitchell Owen, but, with the ball, as he snagged a couple of scalps and Matthew Kuhnemann's control late in the innings prevented India from a big total.

Australia needed less than a run a ball, and they played it smart, letting the game come to them. First came a steady 55-run stand between Marsh and Philippe, then the skipper formed an unbeaten alliance with Renshaw, ensuring they crossed the line. Marsh, in prime white-ball form, was the main man, holding the innings together till the end. But it was Josh Philippe who really proved his credentials, playing a classy, calculated innings that showed he can control the tempo and hit when it counts. Renshaw, on his ODI debut, stayed cool under pressure, and together they made sure Australia cruised home comfortably without breaking a sweat. The Indian bowlers didn't bowl many wicket-taking deliveries and were a bit inconsistent in their lines and lengths.

Without Bumrah, and Kuldeep, for that matter, India's bowling depth was always going to be tested. But under a truncated game, it made things more challenging for the Men in Blue. However, the two frontline bowlers started off well for the Indians with the new ball. Arshdeep provided an early breakthrough, while Siraj made the batters trial by fire, but it was all over when Marsh decided to step on the gas. He treated the fans with some audacious strikes into the crowd to bring the Aussies into command.

A convincing win for Australia in the series opener after a start-stop kind of a game. The hosts did almost everything right. They bowled with precision under the moody skies, were flawless in the field, and controlled the chase with absolute authority. India, by contrast, struggled to adapt to the conditions with the bat and, truth be told, they never had enough runs to work with. They will surely feel that they might have left 25 to 30 runs out there, but it wasn’t nearly enough to trouble the Aussies.

WELL, IT'S DONE! Back of a length and around middle, Matt Renshaw gets across, swivels and taps it towards square leg to take a quick single to seal the deal. The hosts take a 1-0 lead in this three-match ODI series. AUSTRALIA DEFEAT INDIA BY 7 WICKETS!

On a length, around middle, Renshaw shuffles and nudges it to the left of mid on and takes a quick single. SCORES ARE LEVEL!

Angling in, full and around middle, Matt gets across, goes deep in his crease and clips it to mid-wicket.

Spears it full and on the pads, Matt shifts his weight on his front foot and flicks it to the left of mid-wicket. Picks up two runs, and Australia just need 2 now.

FOUR! NEATLY DONE! Short of a length, angling into the body of the batter, around middle. Matt Renshaw shuffles, swivels and hooks it to the left of short fine for a boundary.

Back of a length, shaping away, outside off, Renshaw goes back, gets on top of the bounce and dabs it down to cover.

WIDE! Hurls it on the fuller length but too wide outside off, going outside the tramline. Matt gets across but then leaves it. Called a wide.

Lands it full and around middle, knocked down to long on for a single by MM.