'KL Rahul's Way of Batting and Blueprint Looked About Right': Marcus Stoinis After Defeat in 1st ODI

Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis suggested that the visitors’ batter got carried away after Mitchell Marsh’s blistering knock early in the innings to set up the platform for a big score. However, Australia failed to capitalise on Marsh’s 81 off 65 balls, as they were 129/2 at one stage but were bundled out for just 188.

Marsh opened the innings in David Warner’s absence and he counter-attacked the Indian bowlers right from the start and smashed ten fours and five sixes.

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But a collapse of 8/59, triggered by fast bowling duo of Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj resulted in Australia being bundled out for 188 within 36 overs on a pitch offering continuous assistance to seamers.

“To an extent we might have gotten carried away watching Mitch bat and how well he struck them, and then thinking the score might need to be higher than what was necessary,” Stoinis was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

While he also talked highly of KL Rahul’s patient knock which helped India chase down the target.

There was a bit in the wicket. We need to be a bit better with our techniques and figure out how we’re going to play that. I think KL’s way of batting and blueprint looked about right,”

In chasing 189, India were at a precarious 83/5 in 19.2 overs, with left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc taking three wickets in a beautiful exhibition of seam bowling.

But wicketkeeper-batter Rahul slammed an unbeaten 75 and along with Ravindra Jadeja’s 45 not out, he was involved in an unbroken 108-run stand for the sixth wicket to India get over the line and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Stoinis conceded Australia never adjusted to the conditions on ground, something which India did through Rahul and Jadeja.

“We didn’t sum the conditions up well enough and didn’t score enough. We’re experimenting with a few different combinations, playing eight batters,” he said.

“We understand that if we’re going to play eight batters, we still need to play a certain way up until the 35th over or whatever it might be, and then when the time comes we can assert some authority on that with our back-end power hitters,” he added.

(With Agency Inputs)

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