Australia vs India: Hardik Pandya's Breezy 90 In Vain As Aaron Finch, Steve Smith Hundreds Help Australia Win 1st ODI | Cricket News
Hardik Pandya’s 90 off 76 balls and Shikhar Dhawan’s 74 off 86 weren’t enough to help India chase down a mammoth 375 as Australia beat them by 66 runs in the first One-day International at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Friday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and get 10 points in the ICC ODI Super League. Aaron Finch (114) and Steve Smith (105) hit centuries – Smith’s the third fastest ever by an Australian in ODIs – and were helped along by Glenn Maxwell’s 45 off 19 and David Warner’s 69 off 76 on a flat SCG wicket where all Indian bowlers struggled to contain the runs. India were restricted to 308 for 8 in 50 overs.
Coming in to bat when India were in a spot of bother at 101 for 4 in the 14th over, Pandya stitched together a crucial partnership of 128 runs with Dhawan to keep India in the chase.
Pandya brought up his fifty off just 31 balls in the 24th over of the Indian inning.
Pandya took special liking to the spinners, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell, who were hit for sixes, mostly in the ‘V’ between long-off and long-on, as India remained on course for their highest successful chase in ODIs.
