Australia vs. India: Winners and Losers from 1st ODI
Hosts Australia moved into a 1-0 lead in the five-match one-day international series against India with a five-wicket win at the WACA in Perth.
Rohit Sharma made an unbeaten 171—the highest score against Australia in Australia, per ESPN Cricinfo's Daniel Brettig—as India amassed 309 for three after choosing to bat first.
Virat Kohli weighed in with 91, as he and Sharma put on a second-wicket stand worth 207.
However, Steve Smith and George Bailey managed an even bigger partnership in the second innings, the duo putting on 242 to help Australia reach their target with four balls to spare.
Captain Smith made 149 while Bailey, who could have been given out before he had troubled the scorers, hit 112.
Both perished before the end, leaving Mitchell Marsh (12 not out) and James Faulkner, who hit the winning run from the only legal delivery he faced—to see the home side over the line.
Before the teams move on to Brisbane for the second game on Jan. 15, Bleacher Report has picked out the winners and losers from the series opener.
Winner: Steve Smith
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Captain Steve Smith led from the front for Australia, hitting 149 from just 135 deliveries.
He made his runs at a strike-rate of 110.37 runs per 100 deliveries and looked certain to see his side over the finishing line until chipping a catch to cover with just two required.
Still, Smith—who was leading Australia in an ODI on home soil for the first time since taking charge on a full-time basis—had already all-but guaranteed victory for the hosts.
He certainly seems to enjoy playing against India. His last five scores against them in all formats are: 117, 71, 47, 105 and 149.
Loser: India's Final Total
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It is a sign of the times that India might have felt slightly disappointed at posting only 309 for three.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli—who made 91 from 97 deliveries—helped carry the tourists to what was the sixth-highest one-day total posted in Perth at the halfway stage of proceedings.
However, they could—perhaps really should—have scored even more. With 20 overs to go, they were in a wonderful position at 149 for one.
Some big hitting by Sharma saw 61 runs scored from the final five overs, but the onslaught could have started sooner.
Mike Selvey—cricket correspondent for the Guardian—tweeted: "The question to ask is how did India, in the position they were, on such a pitch, with the wickets they had in hand, manage only 309."
Despite an early wobble, Australia's run chase was paced to perfection.
Winner: George Bailey
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George Bailey played second fiddle to his choice of headwear for much of the match. His gold, floppy hat was such a talking point that it quickly had not one but two Twitter accounts, per ESPN Cricinfo's Melinda Farrell.
However, Bailey put his hat in the shade with a wonderful century in Australia's successful run chase.
Coming in at 21 for two, the right-hander—a former captain of the one-day side—helped lift his side out of an early hole.
Bailey was eventually dismissed for 112, but he could well have been out for a golden duck. Having gloved a leg-side delivery from Barinder Sran, he was fortunate umpire Richard Kettleborough didn't spot the deflection.
Without the use of the Decision Review System (DRS) to challenge the on-field call, Bailey made India pay.
When asked about his early reprieve, Bailey told broadcasters Channel 9 (h/t ESPN Cricinfo's Daniel Brettig): "Would've been interesting to see on DRS, but we're not the team that doesn't want it."
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Losers: Debutants Scott Boland and Joel Paris
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Scott Boland and Joel Paris made their international debuts for Australia in the opening match of the series.
With Mitchell Starc missing through injury and Mitchell Johnson now retired from all formats, the two pace bowlers were selected in a seam-heavy attack in Perth.
However, both were given a tough baptism to life at the highest level. They failed to take a wicket between them and combined to leak 127 runs from 18 overs.
As Tom Decent wrote in his report for the Sydney Morning Herald, it was "hardly the start they would have envisaged on the most fast bowler-friendly deck in the country."
Boland did at least take a nice catch at mid-wicket, clinging on with one hand as he dived to his right to reel in a pull shot from India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Winner: Rohit Sharma
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India's Rohit Sharma has developed the wonderful habit of making big scores in 50-over cricket.
The right-hander has twice managed knocks of over 200 in the format, and although he didn't quite reach that milestone in Perth, his unbeaten 171 was still extremely impressive.
Sharma hit seven sixes and 13 fours as he scored his runs from 163 deliveries.
He ended up just shy of setting a new record for an individual player in ODI action at the venue, failing to pass the 178 Australia's David Warner made against Afghanistan in the 2015 Cricket World Cup.
According to statistician Mohandas Menon on Twitter, "Rohit Sharma's 171 is now the fourth biggest score made in a losing cause in ODIs."
Winner: Barinder Sran
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Debutant Barinder Sran was one of the few bowlers from either country who seemed to enjoy bowling on a flat WACA pitch.
The left-arm seamer—picked for the tour despite playing in just eight List A matches in domestic cricket—marked his first appearance for India with figures of three for 56 from 9.2 overs.
Sran dismissed both of Australia's openers in his first spell. He held a sharp return catch to make Aaron Finch his maiden international wicket, then followed up by tempting David Warner to drive to mid-off.
The 23-year-old also also ended Steve Smith's fun when he had Australia's captain caught at cover at the start of the final over. However, the wicket came too late to spare India from defeat.
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