India vs Australia: Mohammed Shami picks fifer as all-round Men in Blue win by 5 wickets

India beat Australia by five wickets on Friday in the opening ODI of the three-match series in Mohali. In an all-round show, Mohammed Shami took five wickets to curtail Australia before multiple confident batting displays got India over the finishing line.

Needing 277 runs to win, India got the job done in the 49th over with eight balls to spare as KL Rahul (58*) struck the winning runs. Ruturaj Gaikwad (71) and Shubman Gill (74) had put India in a commanding position with a 142-run opening wicket stand.

With the ball, Mohammed Shami displayed his artistry with impressive figures of 5/51 and made a serious statement. The seamer has not been part of India’s playing XI going into the World Cup and the display puts pressure on Shardul Thakur (0/78 in 10 overs), who has been primarily selected for his batting skills.

Beyond Shami, another positive for India and the team management was the return to form for Suryakumar Yadav in ODIs. The swashbuckling batter scored 50 runs from 49 balls, his highest score in 20 innings in the format, and could well have remained unbeaten but for a casual nudge that fell kindly into the hands of Mitchell Marsh.

His knock came at an important juncture for India who looked to be losing their way after conceding four wickets in 43 runs. This, despite a strong start by Gaikwad and Gill who stitched a 142 run opening wicket stand – going at seven runs an over. Suddenly, from 142/0 in 22 overs, India were 185/4 by the 33rd over.

KL Rahul, skipper for the first two matches, continued to make his way back into the flow of things with an unbeaten 58 run knock. This is his third significant contribution since recovering from a thigh injury – scoring 111 (vs Pakistan) and 39 (vs Sri Lanka) – in the Asia Cup.

Another India player in focus, R Ashwin, returned figures of 1/47 from his 10 overs. The off-spinner accounted for Marnus Labuschagne’s wicket after starting off poorly. Ashwin looked rusty in his opening spell, going for 36 runs in six overs, before changing ends and turning things around with 4-0-11-1. Labuschagne was dismissed while trying to play a reverse sweep and the ball ricocheted off wicketkeeper KL Rahul’s pads with the batter out of his ground.

Bowling first, Shami laid the foundation for the win by making a mark in the very first over.

Shami bowled one that moved in the air and just deviated away after pitching. It was full and pitched at a length where Mitchell Marsh had to press forward and the thickish outside edge was a regulation catch for Shubman Gill.

David Warner had six fours and two sixes before Ravindra Jadeja (1/51 in 10 overs) broke the dangerous looking 94-run stand between him and Smith.

The turning point of the match was Shami’s second spell, where he bowled a sharp in-cutter that jagged back enough and Steve Smith, who was late in reacting, inside edged onto the stumps.

In his third spell, he bowled on stumps and Marcus Stoinis’ heave across the line saw his stumps uprooted.

During his first spell, Shami showed his variations when he would repeatedly pitch the ball on three quarter length and draw Warner forward but teasingly went past the edge of his bat.

Brief Scores: Australia: 276 from 50 overs (David Warner 52, Josh Inglis 45; Mohammed Shami 5/51) lose to India: 281/5 (Shubman Gill 74, Ruturaj Gaikwad 71, KL Rahul 58*, Suryakumar 50; Pat Cummins 1/44) by 5 wickets

(with inputs from PTI)