Perth, Australia - In a rain-affected first ODI between Australia and India at the Perth Stadium, Australia is chasing a revised target of 131 runs in 26 overs despite India scoring 136/9 in their allotted 26 overs. The reason behind this discrepancy lies in the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, which is used to adjust targets in limited-overs cricket matches interrupted by weather or other delays.
The Indian innings was a stop-start affair, plagued by multiple rain interruptions that led to several reductions in the match length. Initially slated as a 50-over contest, the match was first reduced to 49 overs, then 35, then 32, and finally to 26 overs per side. Australia won the toss and elected to field, a decision that initially paid dividends as their bowlers put India under immense pressure.
India's top order struggled against the Australian pace attack. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill were all dismissed cheaply. India were in deep trouble early on, losing four quick wickets. Shreyas Iyer also failed to make a significant contribution.
KL Rahul (38 off 31 balls) and Axar Patel (31 off 38 balls) then steadied the ship, putting together a partnership that provided some much-needed stability to the Indian innings. Debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy contributed a useful cameo of 19 not out off 11 balls, including two sixes in the final over, to help India reach 136/9.
Australia's DLS-adjusted target was eventually set at 131. The DLS method considers various factors, including the number of overs remaining and the number of wickets lost, to calculate a fair target for the chasing team. Even when the chasing side is allotted the same number of overs, the DLS method factors in that they had 50 overs to play, which allows them to preserve 10 wickets for a longer duration, ultimately resulting in an increased target for the chasing side.
In India's case, they lost three wickets within the first nine overs, and the reduced overs perhaps worked in their favor following a batting collapse. Australia's bowlers, particularly Matthew Kuhnemann (2/13), Josh Hazlewood (2/20) and Mitchell Owen (2/20), bowled disciplined spells.
The Australian chase began cautiously, with Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh opening the innings. However, Arshdeep Singh struck early, dismissing Head for 8. Axar Patel then removed Matthew Short. At the time of writing, Australia were 44/2 after 7.5 overs, with Mitchell Marsh and Josh Philippe at the crease.
India will need to bowl well and take wickets to defend the revised target. The conditions in Perth are known to be pace-friendly, which could assist the Indian seamers. The absence of Jasprit Bumrah is a setback for India, but Mohammad Siraj and Arshdeep Singh are expected to lead the pace attack, with Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel providing spin options.
