Australia got bundled out for 199 in the first innings of their opening match of the 2023 World Cup against India on Sunday (October 8) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Australia captain Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bat in the contest, considering the dry nature of the surface. Indian bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah gave a great start to his side by dismissing big-hitting Mitchell Marsh early in the third over with just five runs on the scoreboard.
David Warner (41) and Steve Smith (46) then tried to stabilize things with a 69-run partnership. The duo played watchfully but also cashed in on run-scoring opportunities to keep the score ticking. Kuldeep Yadav sent Warner back in the 17th over to break the threatening partnership.
Smith and Marnus Labuschagne (27) then put on 46 runs after playing around 10 overs to take their side ahead. Ravindra Jadeja spun a web around the batters at this juncture and scalped three wickets in quick succession to trigger a collapse. Australia could not recover much after that, as they could only reach 199 in 49.3 overs before losing all the wickets.
Fans on social media enjoyed the low-scoring first innings of the encounter between India and Australia on Sunday afternoon. They reacted to India’s bowling performance by sharing hilarious memes across social media platforms.
Here are some of the best ones:
“I play for CSK, I know the conditions here” – Ravindra Jadeja on his 3-wicket spell against Australia
Reflecting on his magnificent spell at the mid-innings break, Ravindra Jadeja said:
“I play for CSK, I know the conditions here. When I saw the wicket, I thought I should get 2-3 wickets and very happy I got that. (On the wickets he took) I was jus looking to bowl at the stumps. There was turn. You never know which one was going to spin, so was trying to target the stumps.”
“I was mixing the pace, was not bowling quick through the air, tried to bowl the odd ball slower. (On the crowd) Chennai crowd always comes in good numbers. Good to see it is almost like a full house. (On batting plans) Look to play simple cricket, just play simple cricket and things will be alright.”
Team India chased down the target in 41.2 overs and won the match by six wickets. KL Rahul (97*) and Virat Kohli (85) starred for the hosts in the batting department after the top order collapsed.
