Scott Boland and Joel Paris, two Australian debutants who owed much to helpful Perth conditions for their first ODI caps, must have wondered what changed as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli belted India to 3 for 309 on the friendliest of batting pitches at the WACA Ground.
Rohit's unbeaten 171 - which surpassed Viv Richards' 153* as the highest ODI score against Australia in Australia - added to a growing library of monumental limited-overs innings, confirming his mastery of a format where if he gets through the first few overs he is able to hit through the line of the ball with something like impunity. Kohli provided ideal support in a stand of 207 after the early loss of Shikhar Dhawan.
India heaped together 61 from the final five overs of the innings, as Rohit cleared the fence three times. Up to that point the hosts appeared to be reasonably happy with events, but as Rohit punished Boland for a trio of missed yorkers by depositing him in the arc between midwicket and mid on they were forced to re-evaluate the dimensions of the chase that confronts them.
Paris, who lacks the pace of his left-arm forebears Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc, found some new-ball swing in his first two overs. But that was the extent of the questions asked of the batsmen at the WACA, before Steven Smith's bowlers were reduced more or less to battening down the hatches and hoping for the best.
Josh Hazlewood bowled tidily for the hosts, and James Faulkner was a welcome recall to the team after his suspension last year for a drink driving offence while playing Twenty20 matches for Lancashire in the northern summer last year. But there was a certain lack of speed to Australia's bowling line-up that allowed Rohit and Kohli to get comfortable.
The hosts had lost Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc from the team that faced India in the World Cup semi-final in March last year, and much was expected of Paris in his first match. His first ball swerved dangerously into Rohit, but the batsman managed to get the toe of his bat onto it, and thereafter was able to find his rhythm.
This was not the case for Shikhar Dhawan, who struggled to pierce the field before hooking at Hazlewood and finding the allrounder Mitchell Marsh at deep backward square leg. Kohli was quickly moving the scoreboard along, and his ease at the crease rather obscured the fact that this was his first 50 in an ODI against Australia in Australia.
Rohit and Kohli pushed on without offering chances, content to score at around five per over until the start of the final bracket of 10. Rohit's hundred duly arrived, and Kohli's only eluded him when he was well caught by Aaron Finch, running around the fence from long-on.
MS Dhoni promoted himself for a brief, and briefly explosive, cameo of 18, while Boland's desire to bowl at the death was tested by Rohit's ability to clear the boundary - seven times in all. Combined figures of 0 for 127 from 18 overs made it a harsh initiation for Boland and Paris, who must now wait to see how their batsmen cope in response.
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