Australia crush India in first ODI as David Warner and Aaron Finch run riot
Aaron Finch and David Warner unleashed a breathtaking exhibition of power hitting, both scoring unbeaten centuries, as Australia inflicted a devastating 10-wicket defeat on India to take a 1-0 lead in the three match series.
This was more than a victory. Australia’s first real challenge of a lacklustre summer morphed into a cakewalk in Tuesday night’s first ODI in Mumbai.
The bowlers shared the load and openers David Warner and Aaron Finch did the rest. They stormed past India’s target of 256 without losing a single wicket.
They did it with 74 balls to spare. Warner (128 not-out off 112) and Finch (110 not-out off 114) made a mockery of India’s world-class bowling line-up.
Jasprit Bumrah (0-50) lost his length. Perhaps it was a poor sign for India that Virat Kohli played Bumrah with relative ease in the nets on Monday.
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It was the best opening stand against India of all time. It was the biggest partnership against India anywhere in the world.
Aaron Finch and David Warner both made centuries.
It was just the third time India has lost a home ODI by 10 wickets, and the first since South Africa strolled to its target of 188 back in 2005.
And it was simply unbelievable.
Aaron Finch’s century made his $900,000 price tag in the IPL auction look like a bargain for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Australia is just one victory away from claiming back-to-back ODI series wins in India, a feat that hasn’t been achieved by any country since Australia won its fourth on the bounce in 2009.
Debutant Marnus Labuschagne – accidentally called ‘Marcus’ by Steve Waugh in his pre-game cap presentation – will have to wait for Friday’s game in Rajkot for a bat.
Remarkably, not even Steve Smith got a go.
Warner and Finch pierced the field as if it were a computer game, and the scoreboard reflected something out of this world.
India captain Virat Kohli could only watch as his team was routed on its own patch.
It was the kind of result that should make Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand feel a little bit better. Those three countries have come to Australia this summer and been mercilessly beaten up in both the shortest format (Sri Lanka and Pakistan) and the longest format (Pakistan and New Zealand).
Australia cruised through a Test summer winning every match inside four days for the first time in history.
Well, now world cricket’s heavyweight knows what it feels like.
This was supposed to be the first real challenge of the summer and what transpired was challenging to comprehend for the packed Mumbai crowd. As Warner and Finch cut, pulled and hoicked at ease the crowd – so boisterous in the first innings – sat in a stunned silence.
Twice they celebrated Warner’s dismissal, only for DRS reviews to reveal two poor on-field umpiring decisions.
Twice Finch raised the bat for his half-century. The first came after Finch tonked a six that also brought up Australia’s 100, when the scoreboard mistakenly showed him on 50, when really he was on 49.
Pat Cummins was typically relentless during Australia's controlled bowling performance.
Then, 13 minutes later, Finch actually reached the milestone, however it wasn’t to be his last one.
Warner pulled out his trademark leap for ODI century No.18 while Finch hugged Warner when he brought up century No.16. It was a gracious response from the cricket-loving crowd, who clapped their hands red for both players when plenty in England chose to boo Warner this year.
The supreme batting only further highlighted the all-round brilliance of Australia’s bowlers, with India at least 50 runs under par on what Kohli called India’s best batting track.
Mitchell Starc’s middle overs were bang-on, and when the left-armer gets it right he is lethal in this format.
Starc made his ODI debut in India back in 2010 and Tuesday night was just his second game there. It reaped three wickets, starting with crucial anchor Rohit Sharma, and reinforced why coach Justin Langer rates the World Cup warrior the game’s best white-ball cricketer.
Kolkata Knight Riders coach Brendon McCullum would’ve been thrilled with Cummins (2-44) after purchasing the golden boy for $3.2 million in last month’s auction.
Cummins removed dangerous opener Shikhar Dhawan when a leading edge flew straight to Ashton Agar and then, after an eight-second delay, umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin deemed Rishabh Pant had been caught off Cummins.
Cummins was the pick of the bunch, his length a model for accuracy.
Adam Zampa copped some stick but stuck at it and rolled Virat Kohli for the fourth time in 12 months while Ashton Agar broke the 121-run partnership, which was the only time India looked in control.
That is four-straight ODI wins in India against India. With three white-ball World Cups in the next four years – and two in India – that’s a mighty start to a new cycle for Finch’s boys.
Updates
And there it is, confirmation of what we've known for some time.
Australia win.
And win in some style. David Warner and Aaron Finch both carry their bat, both scoring triple figure scores.
They were simply exceptional, with India having no answer to them on its own patch.
1 – David Warner and Aaron Finch's 258 together is the highest opening stand ever recorded against India in men's ODIs. Domination. #INDvAUSpic.twitter.com/juaGI1zeF1
Warner and Finch will, rightly, take the plaudits. But Australia's bowling attack deserves credit too, for restricting India to a sub-par score, which only added to the pressure when Australia's openers got on a roll.
And all round display from the tourists who go one up in a three match series.
AUSTRALIA WIN BY 10 WICKETS
Steve Wilson
And there it is, confirmation of what we've known for some time.
Australia win.
And win in some style. David Warner and Aaron Finch both carry their bat, both scoring triple figure scores.
They were simply exceptional, with India having no answer to them on its own patch.
1 – David Warner and Aaron Finch's 258 together is the highest opening stand ever recorded against India in men's ODIs. Domination. #INDvAUSpic.twitter.com/juaGI1zeF1
Warner and Finch will, rightly, take the plaudits. But Australia's bowling attack deserves credit too, for restricting India to a sub-par score, which only added to the pressure when Australia's openers got on a roll.
And all round display from the tourists who go one up in a three match series.
100 UP FOR FINCH
Steve Wilson
It was a slightly scruffy way to bring up a milestone, getting just enough of a sweep against Jadeja to trickle the ball down to the ropes for his latest boundary.
But the knock has been anything but scruffy.
Finch set the tempo from the very first over, taking on India's world class quicks and setting about chasing down India's below par total as if he had somewhere else to be shortly.
Warner may have overtaken his scoring rate since, and got to three figures before him, but this was still a captain's knock of the highest class.
Well played skipper.
Warner leaps in to the air and punches the sky in the traditional manner on going to three figures.
Just 88 balls needed to get there, the 88th a back of a length delivery from Bumrah that he cut cleanly behind point for his latest boundary and four runs.
That's his 18th in ODIs, and his third in ODIs in India.
Sensational.
Australia go past 200 in the process and the procession continues.
Warner leaps in to the air and punches the sky in the traditional manner on going to three figures.
Just 88 balls needed to get there, the 88th a back of a length delivery from Bumrah that he cut cleanly behind point for his latest boundary and four runs.
That's his 18th in ODIs, and his third in ODIs in India.
Sensational.
Australia go past 200 in the process and the procession continues.
India celebrate – after a fashion – as Warner's epic knock comes to an e….
…wait a moment.
Jadeja traps Warner lbw and the finger goes up.
Warner calls for a review which feels like he's just chancing his arm in the hope he can kick on to the century.
Not so.
The Aussie opener got an inside edge on it and, not for the first time, the decision is overturned in Australia's favour.
Warner 10 shy of triple figures; Australia 60 odd short of victory.
Steve Wilson
India celebrate – after a fashion – as Warner's epic knock comes to an e….
…wait a moment.
Jadeja traps Warner lbw and the finger goes up.
Warner calls for a review which feels like he's just chancing his arm in the hope he can kick on to the century.
Not so.
The Aussie opener got an inside edge on it and, not for the first time, the decision is overturned in Australia's favour.
Warner 10 shy of triple figures; Australia 60 odd short of victory.
Steve Wilson
With Australia now 70 runs off victory with 22 overs left and 10 wickets in hand (I make them narrow favourites) … a numerical and pictorial representation of the concept: Aaron Finch is very, very good at The One Day Cricket:
Finch has been exceptional facing the Indian pace bowlers today.
6% false shots 43% attacking shots 7.36 runs per over 91% runs through the offside 23% deliveries well timed
And Warner celebrates by taking a couple of strides forward and launching the ball back over Kuldeep's head and deep in to the stands.
I was just about to say he's doing it as easy as you like, but when drinks are ferried out to him he wears a slightly pained expression and chugs down some cramp avoiding pickle juice and fluorescent energy drink as a chaser.
Lovely.
So maybe it's hard slog made to look effortless by the quality of the shotmaking.
Steve Wilson
With the Australia v India contest long since settled, it's Finch and Warner against the record books from here on in.
There's more to come if they keep on at this rate, but the record for the highest opening partnership in an ODI held at Wankhede Stadium was passed in the rear view mirror, surpassing the 103 put on by Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh on during the 1996 World Cup.
