Bappu Mahmud
Shikhar Dhawan led the India with a brilliant knock as his team gave Australia a target of 353 at The Oval. Dhawan led the team in opening batting after Captain Virat Kohli won the toss - a decision he said was a "no-brainer" given the sunny conditions in south London. The left-handed batsman Dhawan put on 127 runs with opening partner Rohit Sharma.
Dhawan and Rohit took the challenge to the reigning champions' bowlers after a cautious start against the Australian new-ball pair of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile finally struck in the 23rd over, having Rohit caught behind after the opener recorded his 42nd ODI fifty. It was a first wicket of the World Cup for Coulter-Nile, who feared he might be dropped after an unsuccessful bowling stint despite a match-winning 92 with the bat in Australia's narrow win over the West Indies last time out.
Dhawan stood firm at the other end, however, to convert just his second fifty-plus score in 10 innings into a hundred with a single of Marcus Stoinis. He acknowledged his century - his 17th at this level - by taking off his helmet and waving his bat to huge cheering crowds largely made up of Indian origin living in UK. Earlier, Australia named an unchanged XI for a third straight match as they look to extend their ODI winning streak to 11 games in their World Cup clash with India at The Oval.
India have done likewise with their side, resisting the temptation to bring in another paceman, as Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first on a sunny morning in London. His opposing number Aaron Finch, who said he would have also batted first had he won the toss, admitted Australia had considered changing the make-up of their bowling attack.
Nathan Coulter-Nile appeared the man most likely to make way having feared for his spot after going wicketless in his side’s tournament-opening wins against Afghanistan and West Indies, but has an enviable ODI record against the world's No.1 and 2-ranked batters Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The paceman, who fell eight runs shy of becoming the first batsman in ODI history to score a century from No.8 against the Windies, has dismissed Kohli and Rohit three times apiece in 50-over cricket.
The Aussies lost a home Test series to India for the first time ever last summer, but winning a five-match ODI series away to Kohli's side – triumphing 3-2 after losing the first two games – reignited Finch's belief they're capable of defending their World Cup crown. The Oval pitch saw 300-plus first-innings totals posted for the ground's opening two games of the tournament, before New Zealand successfully chased down 244 in a thriller against Bangladesh earlier this week. It's also the venue where India lost the Champions Trophy final to Pakistan two years ago.
