Mohali: Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad hit fifties at the top, followed by captain KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav notching up half-centuries in guiding India to five-wicket win over Australia in the ODI series opener, here at PCA Stadium Friday.
After veteran fast-bowler Mohammed Shami bagged the second five-for of his ODI career and propelled India to bowl out Australia for 276, the pitch seemed to have eased out a bit in the second innings, making the path of taking a 1-0 lead easier for the hosts.
In the chase, Gill and Gaikwad combined to share a stand of 142 runs for the opening wicket. Gill, playing his first international match at home, made 74 off 63 balls while Gaikwad scored 77-ball 71, also his first ODI fifty.
After the duo followed by Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan fell, Rahul stepped up under pressure yet again, scoring a 63-ball 58, with four boundaries and a match-winning lofted six to seal a clinical win with eight balls to spare.
What would have greatly pleased the team management was the restraint in shot selection and calmness in the situation shown by Suryakumar, while making a 49-ball 50, a much-needed third half-century in the format to ease questions on his 50-over adaptability.
Brief Scores: Australia 276 (David Warner 52, Josh Inglis 45; Mohammed Shami 5-51, Jasprit Bumrah 1-43) lost to India 281/5 in 48.4 overs (Shubman Gill 74, Ruturaj Gaikwad 71; Adam Zampa 2-57, Pat Cummins 1-44) by five wickets
IANS