India’s hearts have been shattered by Australia for the majority of the World Cup’s existence. The five-time world winners have been India’s biggest obstacle in the prestigious competition, as seen by their one-run loss here in 1987, thrashings in the final in 2003 and the semifinal in 2015, and thrashing in the super-six game in 1999.
But India’s World Cup campaign got off to a winning start, defeating Australia by six wickets thanks to a thorough display of spin bowling and tenacious batting from K L Rahul and Virat Kohli.
It is impossible to overstate how crucial it is to win the opening game, especially against the record champions Australia, who haven’t lost a World Cup opener in a century.
The victory served as a defense of India’s strategies and selection practices as well; R Ashwin, a late but valuable addition to the team, put on a magnificent display of elite spin bowling. It supported the selectors’ confidence in Rahul, who was recovering from a thigh injury.
In this encounter, India essentially checked off a number of boxes: the seamers exhaled aggression, the spinners spat venom, and the batsmen shown the tenacity to rescue their team from an early collapse. But for ten crazy minutes, India was in charge of Australia.
India was three wickets down for two runs when Rahul joined Kohli in the middle. Chepauk was completely silent, with many worried faces anticipating the worst. Panic was beginning to take hold in the changing room, Ravindra Jadeja later acknowledged. If the team’s top-order batsmen are dismissed early, they are known to suffer.
A slow pitch work that had already been uphill had now become a strenuous ascent. But Kohli and Rahul stopped the pursuit with a 165-run partnership.
Before he had to suit up, Rahul had just taken a shower and was hoping for a moment of relaxation. Two of India’s best batters orchestrated a classic recovery act, which then came to fruition.
On 13, Kohli took use of his reprieve by composing an innings that showcased his best qualities, including his steely nerves, ability to read a situation, and reaction to his opponents’ strategies.
In this format, Kohli demonstrated why he is still India’s Man Friday. His ability to adapt to the circumstances and take these calculated risks is his greatest asset in the format. He accepted the duty of returning it to Australia under pressure from India.
The finest of the bunch was his boundary, which he smashed off Josh Hazlewood, who had already dismissed Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer in the second over. After being given life, Kohli underwent a complete rebirth as those tentative loose drives vanished and the compactness reappeared.
India had placed their entire faith in him as their middle-order hope throughout the four months he spent recovering from a thigh injury. This undefeated knock was heartening in so many ways, even though his century against Pakistan in the Asia Cup showed hints of him returning to form. Rahul offered serenity in a circumstance where India’s game could have been lost with just one errant shot.
