Event of the Day: India versus Australia
Our event of the day is the Fifth ODI between India and Australia at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground in New Delhi. The series is tied at 2-2 so it is all to play for. Australia have made an amazing comeback in this series, coming back from 0-2 to tie the series with dominant wins in the third and fourth matches. Be sure you don’t miss today’s match. India has a streak to save as they welcome Australia to New Delhi today. They are 9-1 in their last ten ODI series and unbeaten in their last seven. They have not lost to Australia in the ODI format in a decade and looked set to continue that dominance over the Baggy Greens as they swept to a 2-0 series lead. Half centuries from MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav helped push the hosts to a dominant six wicket victory in the first ODI. Things were a little closer in the second match, the margin of victory cut to eight runs. However, a 116-run performance by captain Virat Kohli helped carry India to victory in a match where five of their batters failed to score at least ten runs.
The subsequent two games quickly became Australia’s domain. A 123-run match by Kohli was not enough to help India as ninety-three runs from Aaron Finch and 104 from Usman Khawaja helped Australia to take a 32-run win in the third match. They followed that with a decisive four wicket win with help from another 91 runs by Khawaja, 84 from rookie Ashton Turner and 117 from Peter Handscomb. This win came in spite of a 143-run performance from India’s Shikhar Dhawan and 93 from Rohit Sharma. This could be a historic match for Australia. A win today would snap a losing streak that dates back to January 2017. It would also be the first time that Australia has completed a reverse sweep in the five-match ODI series format - coming back from 0-2 to win the series. They came close to doing just that thirteen years ago in South Africa. In the fifth and final match of that series, Australia watched as South Africa successfully chased 434 to deny Australia the win. Beyond this series, both teams will begin to think about the impending World Cup, taking place across England and Wales later this year. A win today would help assuage concerns about Australia’s performance in the format while a win for India would show that they are still the team to beat when it comes to ODIs. You won’t want to miss this match.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NBA, where the Houston Rockets host the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center. The Rockets are on a nine-game win streak and can put genuine pressure on the Warriors with a win today. For their part, the Warriors will look to bounce back from a shock upset at the hand of the Phoenix Suns, the second worst team in the NBA. A match with serious implications for the Western Conference, this is sure to be an exciting game. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich hosts Liverpool at the Allianz Arena for the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 fixture. The two teams are deadlocked after the first leg at 0-0. Munich managed to keep pace with Liverpool’s younger and more energetic playing style but the question remains if they can do that again. It’s sure to be a match to remember tonight. The Cheltenham Festival continues at Cheltenham Racecourse. In the NHL, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Chicago Blackhawks at the Scotiabank Arena. In snooker, the Gibraltar Open begins at the Tercentenary Sports Hall. TheBNP Paribas Open continues at the Indian Wells Tennis Gardens.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Indian Cricket Team; Cricket Australia