Australia Beat India by Seven Wickets in Rain-Hit First ODI at Perth

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Australia registered a comfortable seven-wicket victory over India in the opening One-Day International at Optus Stadium, as rain interruptions and a revised target under the DLS method shaped a one-sided contest.

Batting first after losing the toss, India struggled against Australia’s disciplined bowling attack and were restricted to 136 for 9 in 26 overs in the rain-curtailed match. Early strikes from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood rattled India’s top order, dismissing Rohit Sharma (8), Virat Kohli (0), and Shubman Gill (10) cheaply. Middle-order contributions from KL Rahul (38) and Axar Patel (31) provided brief resistance before debutant Mitchell Owen and spinner Matt Kuhnemann cleaned up the tail.

Set a DLS-adjusted target of 131 runs from 26 overs, Australia lost Travis Head (8) early to Arshdeep Singh, and later Matthew Short (8) to Axar Patel, but skipper Mitchell Marsh anchored the chase with a fluent 46 not out. He found solid support from wicketkeeper Josh Philippe (37) and debutant Matt Renshaw (21)*, guiding the hosts to victory with 29 balls remaining.

The match, interrupted multiple times by showers, saw both sides adapt to stop-start conditions. However, Marsh’s assured batting ensured Australia maintained control throughout the innings. His unbeaten effort earned him the Player of the Match award.

Speaking after the game, Marsh said, “It was swinging around a bit early, but I’m proud of how the guys took the game on. It’s nice to get a win here at home.”

Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill acknowledged the top-order collapse as decisive, stating, “It’s never easy when you lose three wickets in the Powerplay. There are a lot of learnings for us from this game.”

With this win, Australia take a 1–0 lead in the three-match ODI series. The second ODI will be played on Tuesday, October 21, again at the Optus Stadium in Perth.