Australia defeated India by seven wickets in a rain-interrupted first One-Day International (ODI) at Perth Stadium on Sunday. The match saw a disappointing return to international cricket for veteran Indian batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom struggled against Australia's quick bowlers.
Australia's stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh led his side to victory, scoring an unbeaten 46 as the hosts successfully chased a revised target.
India was put into bat but struggled early, with both Rohit Sharma (8) and Virat Kohli (0) falling quickly in their first national duty appearance since the Champions Trophy in March.
Shubman Gill (10) and Shreyas Iyer (11) also failed to build momentum as the innings was repeatedly interrupted by rain.
India ultimately limped to 136-9 from 26 overs in the reduced contest, with valuable contributions coming from KL Rahul (38) and Axar Patel (31). Spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was the pick of the Australian bowlers, taking 2-26.
The revised target was set at 131 runs. Marsh, deputizing for Pat Cummins, powered the chase with aggressive hitting, continuing his recent strong form. Marsh was supported by Josh Philippe (37), helping Australia cruise to the target in 21.1 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
The series now moves to Adelaide for the second ODI on Thursday.
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