Cricket World Cup 2023: India defeats Australia by six wickets
Australia showed glimpses in their World Cup clash with India, but in the end it was the hosts who dominated the key points of the game to finish convincing winners.
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Josh Hazlewood says Alex Carey may have accidentally put off Mitch Marsh by sprinting to get to a fateful catch ultimately dropped by the all-rounder that proved a turning point of Australia’s opening match World Cup loss to India.
The hosts were 3-20 chasing 200 when a Hazlewood short ball was struck high into the on-side by Virat Kohli. Aussie gloveman Carey and Marsh converged in pursuit of the ball, with Carey drawing to within a few metres of Marsh before pulling out. Marsh made a meal of the chance though, giving a life to the Indian champion on 12.
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The former captain made Marsh pay, putting on 165 for the fourth wicket with KL Rahul to steer India to safety.
Kohli eventually fell to Hazlewood for 85, while Rahul ended the match unbeaten on 97 as India secured a six-wicket victory with 52 balls to spare.
Hazlewood said he felt it was definitely Marsh’s catch to take, but suggested that Carey’s encroachment may have distracted his teammate.
“I didn’t think Kez could get there. I think it was Mitch’s catch and Carey got quite close in the end so might have just put Mitch off,” Hazlewood said.
“It’s one of those things that happens. Guys are training hard and working hard off the field to hang onto them.”
Hazlewood, who was the pick of Australia’s bowlers with 3-38 from nine overs, said Australia had remained optimistic even after the spill.
“It was quite early obviously when that catch was dropped. We still felt with that new ball it was doing enough whether it was in the air or off the wicket, we knew that spin was going to be tough to play. Maybe not as tough as during the day,” Hazlewood said.
“We certainly felt in the game for quite a while until the partnership grew and grew. They sort of batted us out of it obviously. I thought we did a reasonable job early in particular trying to defend 200.”
Hazlewood said that the Aussies had ultimately not made enough runs after winning the toss and batting first on a pitch that turned for Indian tweaking triumvirate Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav.
“It felt like it spun more in the first half, before the dew came in,” Hazlewood said.
“But I think early in our bowling innings it was doing enough and it was still dry. The wicket was up and down a little bit so you’re still in the game a little bit, as a quick in particular.
“Obviously the total was under par. If we get 250, 260 then it’s a different ball game. I think from 2-110 to all out 200, that’s where the batting went wrong.”
The Aussies are due to fly to Lucknow on Monday for matches against South Africa on Thursday and Sri Lanka on October 16. All-rounder Marcus Stoinis was not risked in the opener at Chennai following his recent hamstring injury but trained on Sunday as he closes in on a return.
Cricket Australia has sent reserve all-rounder Matt Short home but spinner Tanveer Sangha remains in India on standby.
Travis Head is still in Adelaide recovering from his broken hand.
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3:25AM: GAME OVER! INDIA WIN BY SIX WICKETS
After some scares to start the innings, the hosts have done this in a canter, cruising to a six-wicket victory with over eight overs to spare.
The big finish helps India’s net run rate for the tournament, but also hits the Aussies hard, who will need to rebound after a poor performance with the bat.
KL Rahul came in with his team in serious trouble, but played a fine, experienced knock, finishing unbeaten on 97, although he missed out on a century by hitting the winning runs for six!
India get the perfect start to their home World Cup campaign.
3:10AM: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE, BUT AUSSIES GET THEIR MAN
Well, that came from nowhere, a half tracker from Josh Hazlewood and Virat Kohli whacks it straight to Marnus Labuschagne at mid-wicket who takes a smart grab.
The Indian superstar goes for a sensational 85, leaving his team with just over 30 to get to claim victory in Chennai.
Hardik Panyda comes to the crease, hoping to help KL Rahul bring it home for the hosts.
3:00AM: TICK, TOCK, GOES THE COUNTDOWN CLOCK
It appears the only thing that is to be decided is which of these two will win the race to a century, with Virat Kohli currently holding a 10-run lead.
When Australia review this game that drop of Kohli on 12 will present as a flashpoint that hopefully will not haunt their entire tournament.
The raucous Chennai crowd is hanging on every run, and waits with great anticipation to explode in celebration for not only a win, but possibly another ODI century for their hero.
2:40AM: DEATH BY A THOUSAND SINGLES
They don’t need to be in a rush, but you’d almost like them to try!
Rahul and Kohli are just going through the motions now and all the sting is gone from Australia’s attack it seems.
Rahul’s early boundaries against Zampa seem to have really set the tone, with Australia’s main spinner not posing any threat so far.
Like the tortoise and the hare, except Australia did no sprinting at all with the bat and look like they’re about to go down.
Utterly brilliant as this partnership has been, time for these two to hammer it home and make the most of the NRR damage they can do to Aust. More important than milestones. #CWC2023
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) October 8, 2023
2:15AM: KOHLI, RAHUL REACH 50 EACH
These two really are cruising now, not forcing anything and just working the Aussies over, and you have to wonder where exactly this wicket is coming from.
The skipper Cummins has bought himself on into the attack, Cummins has done it so often for Australia with the red ball, but this feels a much tougher proposition.
The way it’s tracking, it appears two costly moments will cost the Aussies a better chance of victory in this game, and could prove even most costly in the group stage.
A win for India sees their chance of qualification rise to 78% while it falls to 53% with a loss. For Australia a win increases it to 71% but they fall to 44% with a loss. The winner takes the lead in the group while the loser will fall right into a qualification fight. #CWC23
— James Norton-Brown (@JamesNBCricket) October 8, 2023
1:50AM: AUSSIES STILL SEARCHING FOR AN ANSWER
It’s starting to look a bit easy for the hosts now, who look completely content to just chip away at this total, letting it take as long as it needs to catch the 199.
Rahul has played Adam Zampa beautifully so far, especially with two pristine late cuts down to third man for boundaries.
Kohli, meanwhile, has been supreme and looks unfazed.
Perhaps Australia’s possible saviour could be the slightest hint of reverse swing we have seen from the quicks, but it feels like a reach.
1:20AM: WILL KOHLI MAKE AUSSIES PAY ULTIMATE PRICE?
This game is certainly precariously poised, with Adam Zampa still yet to be unleashed into this contest as Australia look to quell Virat Kohli.
The superstar’s confidence is rising as the hosts pass 50, with Kohli playing two beautiful shots off his pads against Cam Green, both finding the rope.
These two have put on 50 together, with a sense of calmness falling over the Indian crowd after that rip-roaring start by Australia with the ball.
The balls are now eight overs old, meaning there’s no real movement in the air, so Australia will have to find other ways to entice the Indian batsmen with their quicks.
1:00AM: KOHLI, RAHUL STEADY THE SHIP
The early pressure seems to be easing on the hosts, with that missed catch by Marsh appearing to take the sting out of the Aussies in the field slightly.
Glenn Maxwell has begun the spinning attack for Cummins’ side, with the powerplay ended and the Aussies hoping to draw the Indian batsmen into a false stroke.
The batsmen appear keen to just keep the strike rotated, obviously knowing the chase won’t get out of reach if they slow down the scoring.
Oh Mitch…
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) October 8, 2023
How much will that drop cost Aus?
But it ain’t no picnic batting out there... #INDvAUS#CWC2023#CWC23
12:35AM: KING KOHLI GETS HUGE LIFE
He’s always the man to watch isn’t he? Virat Kohli, with his team crumbling around him, still looks in complete command, and looks to be picking Mitch Starc better now that the ball is not moving as much through the air.
KL Rahul, another experienced player is out there with the superstar, with these two wickets extremely vital in a deep Indian batting order.
The Aussies have made a great start, but there’s still a ton of work to be done.
And the superstar gets a huge let-off, with a mistimed pull shot muffed by Mitch Marsh coming in from mid-wicket to make the catch.
Alex Carey was coming from the keeper area, but Marsh appeared to be distracted by Carey coming in and completely botched his chance.
How big could that be?
12:15 AM: WELL, WELL, WELL …
It’s two in two overs for the Aussies as Josh Hazlewood grabs the massive scalp of Rohit Sharma.
That ball angled in and struck the Indian skipper on the front pad, and umpire Chris Gaffaney did not hesitate in declaring him gone.
Sharma did send it upstairs, but hawkeye showed the ball was clipping the top of middle and leg.
AND AGAIN HAZLEWOOD STRIKES!!!
This time Iyer goes on his third ball, sending that straight into the waiting arms of cover and India are in all sorts to start this innings.
The average deviation off the seam in this World Cup in the first Powerplay has been 0.9º
— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) October 8, 2023
The delivery that dismissed Rohit Sharma came back into the right hander at 1.6º
Only 5 deliveries have seamed more than this so far in #CWC2023
12:05AM: STARC DOES THE JOB YET AGAIN
He’s gotten wickets with better balls, but Mitch Starc will certainly take that, removing Kishan in the first over of India’s innings.
A full bull that dragged wide, the Indian opener could not refuse throwing his hands at that one, and the edge flies right into the big hands of Cam Green at first slip.
After such a poor innings with the bat, that’s exactly the start Australia were after as Virat Kohli walks out to the crease.
The World Cup and white ball expert strikes yet again.
WORLD CUP MITCHELL STARC
— Daniel Cherny (@DanielCherny) October 8, 2023
INNINGS BREAK: INDIAN SPIN RUNS RIOT AGAIN
It was a different format to the start of the year but the same old struggles against spin for Australia in India.
The Aussies staggered their way to 199 in their World Cup opener at Chepauk as the hosts strangled and eventually ground down Pat Cummins’ side.
Australia won the toss on a slow pitch that had been baking in the Chennai sun, hoping to mitigate the damage with cracks already visible and with India having picked three frontline spinners.
But a correct call didn’t spare the Aussies, undone for the umpteenth time by the brilliance of Ravindra Jadeja.
The left-arm magician removed Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey in the space of three overs as Australia lost 3-9 through the middle stages of the innings.
Jadeja ultimately finished with 3-28 from 10 overs to be the primary destroyer, but he was not alone in troubling Australia.
Glenn Maxwell played all around a big turner from Kuldeep Yadav to depart for 15, while Cameron Green crept to eight before hitting Ravichandran Ashwin straight to backward point, at which point the Aussies had lost 5-30. They were eventually bowled out in the final over.
The game was already getting away from Australia before the collapse.
Concerns about the viability of Smith and Labuschagne playing in the same one-day team were validated when they put on just 36 from 64 balls, a stand that included just one boundary.
Mitch Marsh fell in the third over for a duck, edging speedster Jasprit Bumrah to Virat Kohli at second slip.
David Warner became the fastest player to 1000 runs in men’s World Cup history but blew a strong platform by spooning a return catch from left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep on 41.
11:30PM: AUSSIE BATTING LINEUP LIMPS TO 199
Australia almost made it the whole 50 overs, but Mitch Starc falls trying to get the Aussies some more runs and the innings ends four balls short of 300 deliveries.
Starc managed a nice 28, runs that could come in handy with such a small total to defend.
The pressure now turns to Starc and his bowling contingent.
11:00PM: CAPTAIN PAT HEADS BACK TO THE SHEDS
Pat Cummins managed to eek out a few boundaries, but the Aussie skipper’s stint is short, whacking Jasprit Bumrah straight down to long on and India close in on ending this innings early.
The wicket has become a little sticky, so as Adam Zampa comes to the crease hopefully the Aussie spinner will like what he sees, with his importance emphasised with this poor innings.
10:45PM: JARVO’S FATE REVEALED
It appears that will be the last of Jarvo at the 2023 World Cup, with the ICC banning him from any more games.
ICC STATEMENT:
The safety and security of everyone involved in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is our priority. We will work with the venue to understand what happened and consider if any additional security measures are required to prevent it happening again. The individual concerned has been banned from attending any further games at the event and the matter is in the hand of the Indian authorities.
10:30PM: INDIA PRESS, AUSSIES ON THE MAT
The runs have seriously dried up now, with Cam Green and Glenn Maxwell trying to get a feel for these pesky Indian spinners, as the run rate dips under four an over.
The usually aggressive Maxwell looks to be biding his time, with this being the last pair of two recognised batsmen.
India’s persistence with the spinners has paid off, frustrating the batters with their line and length.
And now Glenn Maxwell has seen enough, backing away against Yadav and trying to hook the ball over the fence, and his leg stump has been smashed.
Pat Cummins walks to the crease with his side in deep, deep trouble.
Cam Green quickly follows Maxwell to the sheds, smashing a ball to backward point, this is deplorable.
The visitors have lost 5-30, yes really.
Glenn Maxwell just hit the first boundary for Australia in 73 balls. A quite extraordinary squeeze from the Indian bowlers. #IndVsAus
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) October 8, 2023
In theory, there's value in Alex Carey over Josh Inglis as the second left-hander in the Aussie batting order. But given Carey averages 21 v SLA, he's not *really* a left-hander in terms of the value he brings. #CWC2023
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) October 8, 2023
9:55PM: JADEJA TAKES MARNUS AND CAREY THIS TIME!
Ravindra Jadeja is a hard man to keep down, and after he got Smith, you almost knew another would come soon from the spinner and this time he gets Marnus Labuschagne.
The Aussie got down to play the sweep, but a little bit of bounce catches the edge of the bat and the keeper secures it.
Oddly, Marnus started walking when the umpire gave him out, but after a discussion with Glenn Maxwell used up a review, after replay showed an edge on the back of the bat.
This Aussie innings needs to find a spark very soon.
And Alex Carey’s struggles with the bat continue, he’s caught on the pads right away and he has to go.
This has quickly turned disastrous.
Most times dismissing Marnus Labuschagne in international cricket:
— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) October 8, 2023
8 - Ravindra Jadeja 🇮🇳
5 - Mark Wood ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ¥ó ®ó §ó ¿
5 - Ravichandran Ashwin 🇮🇳
5 - Shaheen Shah Afridi 🇵🇰#CWC23
9:40PM: SMITH SURVIVES SCARE, THEN DOESN’T SURVIVE PEARLER
India did send a DRS review upstairs for the old caught behind or maybe you moved your foot before you were stumped play, but Steve Smith survives.
That run rate of 4.71 almost an hour ago has continued to dwindle, edging towards four runs an over as Smith closes in on 50.
We are over halfway through this innings, will the Aussies have to make some changes to the batting order if a wicket comes soon to get some juice into this innings?
Glenn Maxwell is slated to come in at five, but they do like to hold him back towards the end of innings, could that change?
And just like that, the former Aussie captain has to go, and what a seed it is from Ravindra Jadeja, pitched on middle, Smith came forward to defend and the ball spun and hit the off-stump.
Not much one of the greatest players we have ever seen can do with that.
9:20PM: WHAT DO AUSTRALIA NEED TO SET?
The runs have slowed down since Warner left, with Labuschagne easing into his innings and Smith clearly planning on batting through.
A predicted score before the innings of 285-300 seemed enough based on the history at this ground, but surely the visitors will need more against this Indian batting order.
The dryness of the pitch will hopefully play in Australia’s favour tonight, but will they have enough on the board, and will their lack of a secondary spinner come back and bite them?
The big challenge for Australia here is India's psychological edge. Even without Shubman Gill, the hosts could chase anything. So whether Australia get 250 or 350...they never really feel confortable. Whatever the target, they'll have to bowl out of their skins to get the W…
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) October 8, 2023
8:55PM: WARNER’S PATIENCE RUNS OUT
After playing with such ease against the left-arm spinner Yadav, David Warner decided enough was enough and paid the price.
A fuller ball that Warner could not get under goes right back to the bowler who takes a simple catch, bringing Marnus Labuschagne to the crease.
That also means Australia will have two right-handers out there, which we expect Ravi Jadeja to jump all over, with the superstar not having bowled yet in this game.
After getting himself in on this pitch, Warner will be shattered with his dismissal on 41.
Still, a solid partnership has given Australia a decent start after the early wicket of Mitch Marsh.
It's hot out there! 🥵#BBCCricket#CWC23#INDvAUSpic.twitter.com/Ik01ScYbza
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) October 8, 2023
8:45PM: EXPERIENCE COMES TO THE FORE
These two are loving the conditions now, the ball is a bit older but is still firm, as Smith and Warner create a platform not only for them, but for the entire team to launch off.
The two have both tracked into the 30s, working the Indian spinners over, working singles with ease and putting away some bad balls.
The run rate right now is at 4.71, so we may see a flat period in the time straight after the powerplay, as India scatter their field to the fence.
Mitch Marsh will be filthy he missed out on a deck like this one.
8:25PM: SMITH AND WARNER SETTLE THE SHIP
Australia’s two experienced legends have formed a good partnership since Mitch Marsh departed, easing the pressure to start this contest.
Smith has played some cracking shots through cover and mid-wicket, while Warner sent Panyda for six over fine leg.
The two have been experts in keeping the strike turning over, not allowing Ashwin to settle in on one batsman.
Ashwin has been able to get some uneven bounce out of the surface, which has done a bit thanks to the dryness of the wicket.
"You don't want to run early, get run out, then speak about spirit of cricket..." 👀
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) October 8, 2023
DK on comms ðŸŽ™ï¸ pic.twitter.com/Xa9e6ihBL7
8:10PM: SHORT-FORM (nice) STAR SENT HOME
Matt Short has headed back to Australia after hanging with the team as a travelling reserve during the warm-up games. But leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha will remain in India for the time being given Australia does not have a spare frontline spinner in its 15-man squad.
7:45PM: HOST NATION ROARS AS BUMRAH STRIKES
Jasprit Bumrah is hard to get a gold of, and Mitch Marsh falls for a duck to start his campaign, after a beauty.
That ball was slightly back of a length and Marsh pushed at it outside his off-stump, finding a thick edge which Virat Kohli secured brilliantly at first slip.
The home team have gotten one of the most dangerous wickets in world cricket early and the crowd is roaring.
Steve Smith will come to the crease, with Australia already in a little but of danger, with Bumrah up and firing.
The hosts may have been aided by a new ally in the team, with the notorious pitch invader known as “Jarvo” spotted on the field dressed in Indian team gear for the anthems but was escorted off.
7:40PM: EARLY MOVEMENT FOR BUMRAH, AUSSIES OFF AND RUNNING
The first ball of the game and David Warner flashes in that cover region as he tends to do and is beaten by Bumrah, that ball did move through the air after it hit the deck.
A similar delivery and attack second up, and Marsh scampers through, putting the Aussies on the board.
A tidy over from the Indian quick and Australia are off and running at the World Cup.
First ball from Mohammed Siraj, and it’s absolutely crushed by David Warner to the off-side for four, Siraj gave it some width in the hope it would swing and that ball did nothing.
Rohit Sharma did not like that at all, quickly moving his mid-wicket fielder to cover, cutting off that area for Warner who loves the off-side.
After that tough start, Siraj has gotten his line and length spot on mostly, forcing Warner to play close to the body, with the last ball rolling to the keeper behind the stumps.
7:10PM: AUSTRALIA WINS TOSS, ELECT TO BAT
“Looks like a good afternoon to bat,” says the Aussie skipper Pat Cummins after winning the toss, with concerns with a potentially spinning deck later now irrelevant for the Aussie batsmen.
Indian superstar Shubman Gill will miss the clash, another break for the Aussies.
Mitch Marsh and David Warner will open proceedings for Australia, with seven of the last 10 teams to bat first in Chennai claiming victory.
Aussie Test teammate Usman Khawaja believes the two openers are primed to start hot to quell the likes of Bumrah and Siraj.
India go in with triple-pronged spin of Kuldeep, Ashwin and Jadeja.
— Daniel Cherny (@DanielCherny) October 8, 2023
Shami misses out.https://t.co/0I2CutjJR3
6:40PM: CAN AUSSIE TEST SIDE HANDLE INDIA’S STAR-STUDDED TEAM?
Marcus Stoinis looks set to miss the opener in Chennai, meaning Australia look set to field a team very akin to their regular Test team.
Stoinis is still recovering from a hamstring injury, and looks poised to feature later on in this tournament.
Indian superstar Shubman Gill does not seem likely to play, with expectations that the Indians could pick three spinners, Australia have only taken one specialist spinner into the tournament, with Aussie legend Mark Waugh voicing his concerns about the issue.
“You can’t rely on Maxwell, he’s serviceable, but you can’t rely on him,” Waugh said.
The covers were taken off the pitch in Chennai quite early, allowing the wicket to bake in the roasting sun, according to Fox Sport’s Harsha Bhogle.
Originally published as Cricket World Cup 2023: India defeats Australia by six wickets
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