IND vs AUS: India's batsmen fail to fire, set 131 target

Perth (The Uttam Hindu): The first match of the three-match ODI series between India and Australia was washed out due to rain. Rain disrupted the match, which was played in Perth on Tuesday, and the match was reduced to 26 overs a side.

After losing the toss and opting to bat first, Team India had a disastrous start, managing only 136 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 26 overs. However, due to the Duckworth-Lewis method (DLS), Australia were set a revised target of 131 runs to win.

India's star batsmen, returning after a long absence, flopped miserably. Opener Rohit Sharma was dismissed for just 8 runs, while Virat Kohli failed to even open his account. New captain Shubman Gill also disappointed, scoring 10 runs. Shreyas Iyer then departed for 11.

KL Rahul steadied the faltering innings, scoring a crucial 38 to help the team reach a respectable total. For Australia, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Owen, and Matthew Kuhnemann took two wickets each, while Mitchell Starc and Nathan Ellis took one wicket each.

The match was cut short several times due to rain. It was initially reduced to 35 overs a side, then 32 overs a side, and finally 26 overs a side.