In a thrilling encounter at Chepauk, India secured a six-wicket victory over Australia in their World Cup opener. The Indian spinners put the squeeze on the Australian batsmen on a humid day, dismissing them for 199. In response, India stumbled early, losing three wickets for just two runs in the first two overs, with Josh Hazlewood claiming two scalps.
Things could have taken a dire turn for the hosts if Mitchell Marsh had held on to Virat Kohli's mistimed shot. Kohli was batting on 12 when he got a second chance at the crease.
In the eighth over, Kohli was dropped off Hazlewood's bowling as Marsh covered substantial ground from the mid-wicket region, causing confusion with wicketkeeper Alex Carey.
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Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood downplayed the significance of Mitchell Marsh dropping Virat Kohli early in the run chase.
"No, I don't think so (it played a role), it was quite early obviously when that catch was dropped," Hazlewood said in a post-match press conference.
"I didn't think Carey could get there. I think it was Mitch's catch and probably just Carey got quite close in the end, so it might have just put Mitch off," Hazlewood explained.
Hazlewood defended Marsh, suggesting that such incidents could happen to anyone, and the Australian team is already focusing on the upcoming matches.
"Yeah, he dropped a catch, it's one of those things that happens and everyone's training hard and working hard off the field to hang on to them. So, yeah, we'll continue on," Hazlewood said.
When discussing their bowling against the Indian team, Hazlewood noted that the new ball was effective before the dew factor made conditions challenging.
"We still felt that the new ball was doing enough, whether it was in the air or off the wicket. We knew that spin was going to be tough to play, maybe not as tough as during the day, but still enough to play it,” Hazlewood remarked.
He praised the Indian bowlers, especially left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed two crucial wickets, including that of David Warner.
Hazlewood concluded by highlighting the diverse conditions in India, emphasising the need to adapt to the changing circumstances and learn from each match as they prepare to face South Africa in Lucknow, a new venue for them in the tournament.
"And, I think you've got to just land on the ground and try and sum up what you think is the best thing to do first and what's going to happen later on,” Hazlewood concluded.