That brings us to the end of our coverage of the opening game of the three-match ODI series between India and Australia in Mumbai. On behalf of my colleagues at the Firstpost sports desk, this is Amit signing off, wishing you all a good night!
India vs Australia 1st ODI LIVE Score
Ravindra Jadeja is the Player of the Match for his all-round contribution (2/46 and 45 not out and an incredible catch to dismiss Marnus Labuschagne)
IND vs AUS LIVE Cricket Score
At 39/4, India’s hopes appeared extinguished with Mitchell Starc bowling the spell of a lifetime and putting the Aussies in the driver’s seat. KL Rahul, though had other plans, and brought the hosts back on their feet with two match-saving partnerships in the company of skipper Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, the second one guiding the Men in Blue home.
India will have concerns regarding their top order heading into the remaining games at Visakhapatnam and Chennai, the way their middle order fought back today along with their all-round bowling performance will certainly give them a lot of confidence.
Australia skipper Smith, meanwhile, will be ruing his decision of bringing Starc back for his final two overs after the game had well and truly slipped out of their grasp following a 17-run over from Zampa.
IND vs AUS 1st ODI LIVE SCORE
KL Rahul (75* off 91): Saw three wickets fall down really early and Starc was swinging the ball really well. Just wanted to bat the first 15-20 balls and take it from there. Just wanted to play normal cricket shots and not go searching for runs. Couple of boundaries early on settled my nerves. Whoever I batted with, the talk was obviously there is a bit of help in the wicket but we can’t go into our shell. Get some runs is the only way you can put pressure on the bowler. We wanted to run hard and put the loose balls away.
IND vs AUS 1st ODI LIVE SCORE
After 39.5 overs,India 191/5 ( KL Rahul (W) 75 , Ravindra Jadeja 45)
FOUR! Jadeja hits the winning boundary off Starc, going for an aerial drive wide of mid on, as India win by five wickets with more than 10 overs to spare, going 1-0 up with two games to go!
And what a partnership between Rahul and Jadeja, worth 108 and one that proved to be the difference in the end! And Rahul will certainly have regained the faith of the team leadership and silenced his critics with what is one of his more memorable knocks under pressure.
IND vs AUS 1st ODI LIVE SCORE
FOUR! Flicked over the square leg region by Jadeja off Starc! India 187/5; need 2 to win from 63 balls
IND vs AUS 1st ODI LIVE SCORE
The partnership between Rahul and Jadeja hits the century mark, with India on the brink of going 1-0 up at the Wankhede! Rahul brings up the milestone with a single off Starc, with the pair consuming 127 deliveries along the way. Outstanding stuff from the middle-order pair, rising to the occasion at a time when the Aussies were breathing down their necks. India just one hit over the fence away from a win now! IND 183/5
IND vs AUS 1st ODI LIVE SCORE
After 39 overs,India 181/5 ( KL Rahul (W) 74 , Ravindra Jadeja 37)
Five off Abbott’s penultimate over, including a brace to Rahul off the fifth ball after getting an inside nick through the square leg region, leaving India needing just 8 to win from 11 overs. Rahul/Jadeja could pull this off with a couple of hits to the fence from here.
IND vs AUS 1st ODI LIVE SCORE
After 38 overs,India 176/5 ( KL Rahul (W) 70 , Ravindra Jadeja 36)
Smith brings Abbott and Starc back into the attack, but it might be a tad bit late for the Aussies to mount a fightback, specially after that 17-run over from Zampa which has put the Men in Blue on the brink of victory at the Wankhede. With plenty of overs left in the chase, Rahul and Jadeja happy to do the job in singles right now. Nine off the last two. India need 13 from 12 overs.
What a way to silence once’s critics
An excellent knock from @klrahul here in Mumbai when the going got tough!#TeamIndia 22 runs away from victory.
Live – https://t.co/8mvcwAwwah #INDvAUS @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/Ct4Gq1R1ox