Australia served a timely reminder to the Indian team that they still have gaps in their white-ball cricket as the world champions thrashed the tourists by seven wickets in the rain-affected first ODI in Perth.
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh scored 46 not out as the hosts eased to the target of 131 on Sunday in a match that was reduced to 26 overs a side.
India scored a below-par 136-9 after the first innings was interrupted a number of times. The tourists struggled to set any tempo as the available overs kept reducing with each break.
More importantly, returning stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed to get going in challenging conditions, underlining the daunting task that awaits them as they look to kick-start their careers after being away from international cricket for most of the year.
Sensing the pressure India's top order would be, Australian captain Marsh won the toss and chose to field amid inclement weather in the West Australian capital.
Opening bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc were in great touch early, troubling the Indian batters with impressive lines and movement.
Hazlewood had former captain Rohit (8) caught at second slip before Starc claimed Kohli for a duck, leaving the visitors reeling at 21-2.
Kohli once again fell chasing a wide delivery outside off-stump, giving more reasons to believe the ageing superstars of Indian cricket could be nearing the end of their careers.
India captain Shubman Gill was unlucky to be caught by wicketkeeper Josh Philippe down the leg side off Nathan Ellis for 10 before the first rain delay, with India 23-3 after 8.5 overs.
The 18 runs between Rohit, Gill and Kohli was the lowest aggregate by India’s top three in a men’s ODI since 2019.
Hazlewood grabbed his second upon resumption when Shreyas Iyer gloved a ball to Philippe before a long delay with India reduced to 45-4.
When they eventually resumed, the game was reduced to 26 overs.
KL Rahul tried to boost the scoring and smashed two huge sixes but fell on the boundary going for a third, finishing on 38 off 31 balls.
He shared a 39-run partnership with Axar Patel (31) and 31 with Washington Sundar (10) to add some respectability to the total.
All-rounder Nitish Reddy hit 19 runs off the last two overs but a total of 136-9 was too meagre.
Marsh kept India's attack, which did not have Jasprit Bumrah, at bay even as seamers and spinners continued to get assistance on a tacky surface.
Matt Renshaw was unbeaten on 21 alongside Marsh as Australia reached a revised target of 131 with 29 balls remaining. Josh Philippe contributed 37, batting at number four.
Despite the stop-start nature of the match, Australia captain Marsh was pleased with the clinical performance.
“Obviously the weather played its part today,” Marsh said. “But it's nice to get a win.
“The ball was swinging around for both teams out there so it was a little bit of a challenge to get through.
“I was proud of the way our young guys came out and got the job done.”
His counterpart Gill said the team lost the initiative in the first 10 overs itself after losing three quick wickets.
“When you lose three wickets in the powerplay you are always trying to play a catch-up game,” Gill said.
“But there are a lot of learning for us from this game and a lot of positives as well.”
India’s eight-game tour of Australia will continue with ODIs in Adelaide on Thursday and Sydney on Saturday. The five-game T20 series begins October 29.
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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Tickets
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The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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