Australia defeat India by seven wickets in rain-hit Perth ODI

Australia registered a dominant seven-wicket win over India in the rain-hit opening One Day International (ODI) of the three-match series at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Sunday.

Persistent rain reduced the match to 26 overs per side, with India managing just 136 for nine after multiple interruptions. Australia were set a revised target of 131 under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, which they achieved comfortably with 4.5 overs to spare to take a 1–0 lead in the series.

India’s batting faltered as no player managed to convert starts into a substantial score. KL Rahul top-scored with 38 off 31 balls, while Axar Patel contributed 31 from 38 deliveries. Captain Rohit Sharma (8), Virat Kohli (2), and debutant skipper Shubman Gill (10) all fell cheaply, leaving India struggling at 45-4 midway through the innings.

For Australia, Josh Hazlewood, Matthew Kuhnemann and Mitchell Owen took two wickets each, while Mitchell Starc claimed one.

In reply, Australia lost Travis Head early for 8 off 5 balls, dismissed by Arshdeep Singh, but Mitchell Marsh anchored the chase with an unbeaten 46 off 52 deliveries. He shared valuable partnerships with Matthew Short (8), Josh Philippe (37 off 29), and Matt Renshaw (21* off 24) to guide the hosts to victory.