Australia started the Commonwealth Bank Series on a promising note while overcoming India by 65 runs as Matthew Wade and David Hussey brightened with the bat while Clint McKay had a wonderful bowling spell.
The match was restricted to 32 overs due to weather, Australia smashed 216 runs and India was bowled out for 151 runs.
The debutant Matthew Wade proved his worth in the One Day Internationals by hammering 67 runs while opening the innings and was rightly declared ‘Player of the match’.
The first match of the tri-series was played at Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 5, 2012.
Earlier Indian Captain, MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to field first to get use of the overcast conditions. The Kangaroos started off in cautious manner and Vinay Kumar rewarded the blue shirts with two quick wickets. The hard hitting David Warner was bowled for six runs and the most experienced batsman Ricky Ponting was caught at extra cover by Suresh Raina for mere two runs.
The home side was in trouble straight away and two wickets were lost for 19 runs in 7.5 overs as Michael Clarke took guards. He started to build up innings with the opener Wade who dispatched a six and four on the successive deliveries of the 11th over bowled by Praveen Kumar.
Rain interrupted the game after that over and the match was restricted to 32 overs. Rohit Sharma struck for India in the 15th over when Clarke was caught by Rahul Sharma in the deep midwicket for 10 runs.
Australia looked in trouble after losing three wickets for 49 runs in 14.4 overs when Michael Hussey shared a useful partnership of 73 runs with the attacking Wade. The opener lost his wicket at 122 runs after an attacking individual knock of 67 runs scored off 69 balls with the help of two sixes and 4 fours.
Hussy was gone after playing a hurried innings of 45 runs off 32 balls with 4 fours as David Hussey demonstrated gem of an innings in the closing overs. He remained unbeaten on 61 runs off just 30 balls studded with three towering sixes and 4 well timed fours as the home side thrashed 216 runs for the loss of five wickets at the end of the 32nd over.
Vinay Kumar was the most successful bowler with three wickets as both Sharmas collected one wicket each.
The blue shirts faced an early blow when their star opener, Sachin Tendulkar was caught smartly by Ponting off Mitchell Starc for just two runs. The trouble continued when the other opener Gautam Gambhir was caught by the wicket keeper Wade off Starc again for five runs.
Two quick wickets were gone at 13 runs when the youngsters, Kohli and Rohit Sharma shared a watchful partnership of 51 runs for the third wicket. McKay struck for the Kangaroos by removing the both batsmen and India was reeling at 65 for four wickets as Kohli and Sharma scored 31 and 21 runs respectively.
The Australian bowlers became unplayable and Dhoni came out with little resistance in the middle by a patience knock of 29 runs off 38 balls with just one four as the whole team was bundled out for 151 runs with 2.2 overs to spare.
McKay ripped through the Indian batting with four wickets, Starc and Xavier Doherty held two wickets each as Daniel Christian claimed one.
Australia won the match comfortably by 65 runs and has entered the tournament with authority.
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