Mitchell Marsh guides Australia to victory in rain-hit India ODI

AFP, Perth:

Australia Captain Mitchell Marsh guided his side to a comfortable seven-wicket win against India in a rain-affected first one-day international (ODI) in Perth on Sunday.

Chasing 131 for victory in a match that was reduced to 26 overs a side, Marsh scored 46 not out as the home side cruised to an easy win to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Matt Renshaw was unbeaten on 21 alongside Marsh as Australia reached 131-3 with 29 balls remaining. Josh Philippe contributed 37, batting at number four.

“Obviously the weather played its part today,” Marsh said. “But it’s nice to get a win.

“The ball was swinging around for both teams out there so it was a little bit of a challenge to get through.

“I was proud of the way our young guys came out and got the job done.”

Marsh, who was also named player of the match, won the toss and chose to field due to the inclement weather around the Western Australia city.

It paid dividends as India’s innings was hampered by rain delays, which frustrated the visitors who struggled to build any momentum.

A quickfire 38 off 31 balls from KL Rahul helped India to recover to 136-9, with Australia set 131 to win after the total was adjusted on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system.