This was the first blockbuster World Cup fixture between two of the fancied teams. But it was all India, on the field and off it, where their fans packed into The Oval in the strongest voice.
They did not leave disappointed: India ruthlessly exposed the shortcomings in Australia’s attack to make 352, then suffocated the chase to win by 36 runs, bowling Australia out off the match’s final ball for 316.
The scoreline did not reflect quite what a statement showing this was.
Australia may yet retain the World Cup because, well, they are Australia and it is the World Cup. But India have provided a blueprint for Australia’s six remaining opponents about how to win their meeting.
India targeted the weaker bowlers, then simply did not allow swift enough scoring from batting which was passive until Glenn Maxwell came in – far too late.
But just as he was getting going, Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Steve Smith and Marcus Stoinis in three deliveries. Four balls later, Maxwell was gone, and with him went the game, despite the last-ditch efforts of Alex Carey.
Weaknesses in their bowling were exploited, too. The third seamer is Nathan Coulter-Nile, not Josh Hazlewood or James Pattinson. 10 overs have to come from Stoinis and Maxwell, all-rounders who strike fear with the bat, not the ball.
So India sat in against the new ball. There was little full stuff, and thus little to tempt them into errors. When Coulter-Nile (who had dropped a very tough chance off Rohit Sharma at square-leg) appeared, Shikhar Dhawan took three boundaries from his first over.
When Adam Zampa’s leggies came on, his six overs cost 50. Dhawan upper-cut Stoinis’s first ball over the keeper’s head for four, and his first economy was 8.85.
Mitchell Starc, who was not at his best, was punished at the death because of the lack of wickets.
Eventually, it was Coulter-Nile who got the breakthrough, Sharma edging a lifter behind for 57. But by then there were 127 on the board, Dhawan was flying, and it merely brought Virat Kohli to the crease.
They shared 93 more, with Dhawan moving to a fine 95-ball century then teeing off, which led to him being caught in the deep off Starc. It had been a sparkling knock.
India did not particularly mind, though, because they simply promoted their finishers. Hardik Pandya was at the crease with 13 overs left, and Australia committed the cardinal sin of dropping him first ball.
It was a regulation chance to keeper Carey’s right, but it inexplicably went down.
Pandya punished Carey, to the tune of 48 in 27 balls, with crisp sixes off Maxwell, Zampa and Pat Cummins.
Next up was MS Dhoni, who was also dropped early by Carey – a much tougher chance this one – and he biffed 27 off 12 balls, only to fall to an outstanding Stoinis caught and bowled in the final over.
