cricket

Updated: Jan 12, 2019 13:55 IST

Australia’s captain Aaron Finch had said before the first ODI that they would look to get the top three Indian wickets quickly and that’s exactly what happened in the match in Sydney on Saturday. Opener Shikhar Dhawan (0) and captain Virat Kohli (3) were back in the hut by the fourth over, leaving Rohit Sharma behind. Number four batsman Ambati Rayudu was dismissed for a duck in the fifth over as India recorded their joint-worst collapse of first three wickets in ODIs. India had lost three wickets for four runs against Zimbabwe in Adelaide in January 2004.

Under pressure batsmen Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni then decided to ensure that another wicket doesn’t fall by batting super defensively. Rohit and Dhoni took India to 21/3 at the 10-over mark, which is their fifth lowest score after 10 overs in ODIs since 2013.

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Earlier, Australia posted 288/5 after choosing to bat first at the toss. Peter Handscomb top-scored for the hosts with his 73-run knock while Usman Khwaja (59) and Shaun Marsh (54) also scored half-centuries. Marcus Stoinis remained unbeaten on 47.

Bhuvneshwar and Kuldeep picked up two wickets each, while Jadeja got a piece.