Rohit Sharma certainly stamped his mark for a top-order position in the forthcoming World Cup with a fluent century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today against Australia in India’s first match of the tri-series.
Where to watch tri-series online live streaming
The Australia vs India match is scheduled for a 03:20 GMT (08:50 IST) start, with live streaming option HERE for India viewers. Star Sports network will telecast the match in India. Live score updates are available HERE, HERE and HERE. In Australia, Nine Network will telecast the match live, with live streaming option HERE. The match is also available live online HERE. Sky Sports will broadcast the game in the United Kingdom with live streaming option HERE.
The Indian opener looked in great touch throughout the innings and rarely put a foot wrong against the Aussie bowlers, who went on top of the Indian team right from the word go, when Mitchell Starc removed Shikhar Dhawan in the first over of the match.
India soon lost Ajinkya Rahane and talisman Virat Kohli, who faced a rare blip in form, but Rohit held one end firmly to negotiate the new-ball. He, along with Suresh Raina, started the rescue work and made a 126-run fourth wicket partnership.
Raina, meanwhile, put his rough patch behind and scored 33rd half-century in the one-dayers. He looked unaffected from the Test failures and was in cruise control during his 63-ball innings.
Starc was the pick of the bowlers and broke the partnership, soon after Raina completed his fifty. But, India skipper MS Dhoni joined forces with Rohit and made a 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but Starc broke the partnership.
Axar Patel was the next to go when Starc sent him packing for a duck. Rohit, meanwhile, held one end firmly and lift India to 266/8 in 50 overs. Starc was the wrecker-in-chief and finished with a six-for.
Earlier, India elected to bat first against Australia, with Axar included in the squad in place of Ravindra Jadeja, who is nursing a left shoulder injury.
Skipper MS Dhoni picked three seamers in the absence of Ishant Sharma, namely Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, while added Gurinder Sandhu in place of left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty.
