Twitter Reactions: Dhawan, Virat and bowlers halt Australia’s joyous ODI run

The game at the Kennington Oval in London between India and Australia kept everyone on the edge of their seats for most of the match duration. After a number of twists and turns, it was Virat Kohli and Co who came out trumps by 36 runs to register their second victory of the 2019 World Cup. Prior to this encounter, the Aussies had won 10 ODIs in a row and the defeat brought an end to their winning streak.

India ride on Dhawan’s century

After victories in the previous games, both teams went unchanged. On a slow wicket, India elected to bat first and the decision worked wonders for them as they racked up a mammoth 352 in 50 overs. Even Aaron Finch, the Aussie captain, wished to bat, but that wasn’t the case. The Men in Blue got off to a stupendous start as their openers- Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma- put on 127 for the first wicket.

Rohit got to his half-century off 61 balls but fell prey to Nathan Coulter-Nile. However, Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper, and Dhawan carried on the good work and stitched together a 97-run stand to put India in a position of command. The left-handed Dhawan got to his fifty off 53 balls and then notched a ton off 95 balls. Eventually, in the 37th over, it was pacer Mitchell Starc who got rid of him for 117.

Bearing in mind the situation, Hardik Pandya was promoted to number four and he delivered with a quickfire 48 off 27 balls. Kohli, at the other end, racked up a fifty in 55 deliveries and went on to play until the last over. The Indian captain scored 82 runs off 87 balls with four boundaries and a couple of sixes. MS Dhoni and KL Rahul also played cameos of 27 and 11 respectively to propel India’s score.

Too much to chase for the Aussies

David Warner and Aaron Finch started Australia’s run-chase in a steady manner with a stand of 61 in 13.1 overs. The left-handed Warner put his head down initially. Finch scored a 35-ball 36 after which he was involved in a mix-up with his partner that led to his dismissal. Steve Smith was sent to bat at three and he put on 72 runs along with Warner, who got to his second fifty of the mega event in 77 balls.

Soon after Yuzvendra Chahal removed Warner, who ended with an 84-ball 56. Thereafter, the onus was on Smith and Usman Khawaja to steady the ship. Khawaja went over a run-a-ball and scored 42 off 39 with four fours and a six. Jasprit Bumrah rattled his woodwork to cut short his knock. Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered the body blow as he removed the dangerous Smith, who got 69 runs off 70 balls.

Then the pacer ripped Marcus Stoinis’ timber apart to pick up the fifth wicket. Glenn Maxwell threatened for a brief while with a 14-ball 28 and he became Chahal’s second victim. With the required rate climbing, Alex Carey came out all guns blazing and scored a fifty off 25 balls. He stayed not out on 55 off 35 with five fours and an over-boundary. But his efforts weren’t enough for Australia to go over the line.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the encounter