World Cup 2019: India beat Australia by 36 runs
LONDON (92 News) – India beat Australia by 36 runs in the 14th match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 at The Oval on Sunday, 9 June.
Earlier, India set 353-run target fort Australia.
It’s now the second-highest team total of the 2019 World Cup. But Australia won't give up just yet, they showed us in Mohali in March that they can take down India's big scores, and the pitch, too, hasn't behaved as badly as it looked in the morning.
Shikhar Dhawan hit a sparkling century to help India post 352 for five Kohli also came out all guns blazing to smash 82 and combine with Hardik Pandya for a 81-run third-wicket stand that saw the pair pummel world champions Australia's bowlers.
The left-handed Dhawan made 117 off 109 balls and shared an opening stand of 127 with Rohit Sharma (57) that set the tone for the innings.
Dhawan carried on, however, to reach a hundred with a single of Marcus Stoinis after the ball rebounded off the stumps.
The aggressive Dhawan then drove a 93 mph delivery from Starc straight past the left-arm quick's head for four.
MS Dhoni also chipped in with a brisk 27 as India scored 59 runs from the last five overs.
Stoinis took the wickets of Dhoni and Kohli in the last over but KL Rahul finished off the innings with a boundary.
Earlier, India won the toss and elected to bat first against Australia.
Both the teams are unchanged in today’s match. Having had a winning start to the tournament, both India and Australia will eye for early supremacy, as they take on each other.
Australia’s famed never-say-die spirit once again came to the fore, when they staged a remarkable comeback against West Indies at Trent Bridge on Thursday. Nathan Coulter-Nile, who had an ODI average of 12.83 before Thursday, stunned West Indies with a 60-ball 92 to lift Australia from the depths of 38/4, with Steve Smith and Alex Carey, too, making laudable contributions.
Then, Mitchell Starc – the Player of the Tournament in the 2015 edition – snuffed out a tough West Indies fightback during the chase to finish with five wickets and deliver a 15-run win. Now, Australia once again meet the opposition against whom they began their remarkable ODI turnaround earlier this year – India.
Their opponents are riding their own wave of confidence, having announced themselves with a convincing victory against South Africa on Wednesday.
The spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who wiped out half the South African line-up between them, might once again be a decisive factor. While Rohit Sharma seemed back in touch with his gritty century, KL Rahul’s resistance during a tough period of play must be heartening for team management.
Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli might’ve failed in their first outing, but their track record against Australia, and the current form of Starc and Cummins, surely builds up towards an exciting contest.-ICC
