On the eve of the match, India head coach Rahul Dravid asserted that his team had ticked most of the boxes in the Asia Cup. One that perhaps remained unticked was the form of Suryakumar Yadavwho duly came to the party with a feisty 50, a knock in the finisher mould, where he showed considerable restrain and awareness to bail his team out of a tricky situation. His most unusual outing at this level helped India chase down 277 with the loss of five wickets, in the company of KL Rahul.
There was a phase when he was worried about his inability to crack the ODI code. “What is happening for me in this format, I have wondered. The teams and bowlers were the same. I went back and reflected and realized I was probably rushing things a bit. So I decided to play slower and take it deep. I think it’s the first time I haven’t played a sweep,” he would explain.
It was the sort of innings he used to dream of when he started playing this format, he would say. But somehow could not manage until this night in Mohali. And at the most opportune time too, on the cusp of the World Cup, and his spot in scrutiny. No Indian cricketer in this squad would have been under as much scrutiny as Yadav would have been. Apart from his measly average of 25, he had not scored a half-century in 19 innings. Time and time again, the coach and captain, or whoever attended the press conference, had to defend his place in the spot. Even on Thursday, Dravid had to detail the reasons the team has been persisting with him.
Sealed with a SIX.
Captain @klrahul finishes things off in style.#TeamIndia win the 1st ODI by 5 wickets.
Scorecard – https://t.co/H6OgLtww4N… #INDvAUS@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/PuNxvXkKZ2
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2023
Yadav justified the faith of his faithful with a knock that allayed a lot of fear about his adaptability in this format. Making him come at No 6—a ploy tried first in West Indies—was to maximise his T20 style of batting, where he could unpack his strokes without much ado. It’s here that he perhaps exceeded the expectations of most. The situation he walked in was delicate. India had lost Ishan Kishan and the target was 92 runs away. Australia’s tails were up and an Indian implosion lurked.
So Yadav dialed in a brand of game you don’t associate with him, though a role he had played on numerous instances for his domestic side, Mumbai. He took stock of the situation, milked the bowling, punished the loose balls in conventional fashion, his straight-driving a thing of beauty (he unfurled three) and took the game away from Australia. Apart from a ramp off Pat Cummins at the start and the scoop off Cameron Green towards, there was nothing unorthodox about his stroke-making.
A well made half-century for @surya_14kumar off 47 deliveries.
His 3rd in ODIs.
Live – https://t.co/H6OgLtww4N… #INDvAUS@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/sZYHyaujXu
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2023
Only a few days ago had Green, his Mumbai Indians teammate, praised him in a podcast on The Grade Cricketer. “It is ridiculous the way he bats. Especially in the training when you see him playing those shots. It’s amazing,” he would say. Green got a taste of that in a real game too.
Yadav showed that there is a different, deeper layer to his batting. It’s often needed from someone who bat at 5 and 6, the ability to be flexible in approach, to read the situation and bat accordingly, often sacrificing your primary nature.
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Tone-setter
Just as Yadav is peaking at the right time, so is India. Perhaps provoked by the Jasprit Bumrah-Mohammed Siraj show in Colombo, Mohammed Shami produced a masterful account of his bowling, bending and hooping the ball both ways in his first two spells. His five-wicket haul would certainly push the case for India opting for a thrilling three-pronged seam battery in the World Cup.
For his brilliant bowling figures of 5/51, @MdShami11 is adjudged Player of the Match as #TeamIndia win by 5 wickets.
Take a 1-0 lead in the three match ODI series.
Scorecard – https://t.co/H6OgLtww4N…… #INDvAUS@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/gIZJFkWj2L
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 22, 2023
His opening spell set the tone for India. In the first over, he removed the in-form Mitchell Marsh with a peach, one that shaped away after pitching. In his second spell, he came back to remove a set Smith on 41 with another magic ball, the nip-backer. At the death, he devoured Marcus Stoinis (29), Matthew Short (2) and Sean Abott (2) to complete his second fifer in the ODIs. “It’s important to bowl in the right areas and set the tone. There wasn’t much out of the wicket so the only option was to bowl good lengths and mix up your variations. Feels good when you put in the effort and get wickets,” Shami told the broadcasters during the innings break.
As much as the variety and skills of India’s bowler, Australia’s batsmen were undone by their indiscretion. Forget the poor shot selection from Warner or the reverse sweep from Marnus Labuschagne, Green’s run out was pure comedy. Green advanced down the crease, got an inside edge, which KL Rahul failed to collect on the bounce. Green was adamant to run the second while Inglis was watching the ball. Shami failed to collect the throw from Ruturaj Gaikwad from the third man but an alert Suryakumar Yadav got the job done. A nine-ball 21 from skipper Pat Cummins helped Australia end their innings with a flourish as Australia reached 276 runs.
Gill-Gaikwad show
For Australia to defend the score on a wicket that suddenly became easy for batting under the lights, as it always is here, they needed early wickets. But they had to wait till the fourth ball of the 22nd over for the first Indian wicket. By that time, the hosts had motored along to 142, thanks to some scintillating stroke-play from homeboy Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad. But for all their dazzle, it required the grit and heart of Yadav and Rahul to steer India home. Another box ticked, and a big one at that.
