Bengaluru, Nov. 27: The crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground witnessed some beautiful shots as Steve Smith laid the foundation for Australia’s win with a scintillating 105 off 66 deliveries.
The former Australian skipper put up a solid show with the bat as he along with current skipper Aaron Finch, helped the hosts post the highest ODI score against India. After opting to bat first, the Australian top-order put up a clinical show as the hosts put up a strong total of 376 for the loss of six wickets.
Despite a flying start India failed to chase down the target as they fell to a 66-run loss in the 1st ODI of the three-match ODI series.
After his match-winning knock, Smith said that he had been searching for something that has finally fallen in place.
Speaking after the match, Smith said, “Have been searching for a couple of months now. About three days ago something just clicked. My rhythm came back, everything came back.”
Openers Aaron Finch and David Warner handed Australia a flying start and that allowed Smith to walk in and enjoy his game in the middle. “Finch and Davey played very well early on. We could come in and be aggressive. Wasn’t thinking too much out there, just seeing the ball and hitting it,” added Smith.
Smith admitted that he did take a few risks but fortunately they paid off as Australia reached a record-high total. “Was seeing the ball well. It was a good surface. I took a few more risks than I would normally. I targeted some bowlers and fortunately, it came off. Nice to contribute to a good win,” signed off the former skipper.
With the convincing win in Sydney on Friday, Australia took a 1-0 lead over India in the three-match ODI series.
(With input from agencies)