The fifth match of the 2023 World Cup has just concluded at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai with the host country emerging victorious against five times World Cup champions Australia. Indian batsman Virat Kohli registered the record for most catches for team India in the history of the World Cup. Indian dominance was showcased on a next level with the Men in Blue slightly chasing the target in 41.2 overs.
After winning the toss, Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins chose to bat first with India continuing to bowl. Little did Australia know about the extraordinary performance that came next from star bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah took down the wicket of Mitchell Marsh in the very first overs he bowled, making the Men in Yellow reeling at 5/1 in 2.2 overs. On the other hand, the Australian side chased a target of 199 for all wickets down at 49.3 overs.Â
| No. | Player | Country | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | S/R |
| 1 | Devon Conway | New Zealand | 152 | 121 | 19 | 3 | 125.62 |
| 2 | Rachin Ravindra | New Zealand | 123 | 96 | 11 | 5 | 128.83 |
| 3 | R. Van der Dussen | South Africa | 108 | 110 | 13 | 2 | 119.05 |
| 4 | Aiden Markram | South Africa | 106 | 54 | 14 | 3 | 196.30 |
| 5 | Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 100 | 84 | 12 | 3 | 98.18 |
| 6 | KL Rahul | India | 97 | 115 | 8 | 2 | 84.35 |
| 7 | Virat Kohli | India | 85 | 116 | 6 | 0 | 73.28 |
| 8 | Charith Asalanka | Sri Lanka | 79 | 65 | 8 | 4 | 121.54 |
| 9 | Joe Root | England | 77 | 86 | 9 | 1 | 130.77 |
| 10 | Kusal Mendis | Sri Lanka | 76 | 42 | 4 | 8 | 180.95 |
Half way centuries coming from the Indian side
India’s KL Rahul and Virat Kohli continued to showcase their batting prowess and made India lead to a significant victory in its first World Cup opener. Both KL Rahul and Kohli have made an entry in the top scorers chart by featuring at 6th and 7th positions while the top scorers are ruling at the same positions as before in the chart. KL Rahul’s 97 for 115 and Kohli’s 85 for 116 proved to be pivotal for team India in its chase of 199 runs. Talking about India’s bowling attack, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja took 3 wickets followed by Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav at 2 wickets each.Â
Australia’s journey of batting first
Though team Australia failed to restrict India within its run chase boundary, it showcased its potential in reaching a convincing mark as the team went on to score 199 despite continuous fall of wickets. The Australian players have failed to make an entry in the chart but David Warner and Steve Smith went on to score 41 and 46 respectively. Bowler Josh Hazlewood’s role proved crucial for Australia as he took down 3 wickets dismantling India’s opening set up.Â
India will now face Afghanistan in its second match of the World Cup campaign on October 11 at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
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