Australia strolled home to victory against India by five wickets at Perth in the first One-Day International of the five-match series. The hosts chased down 309 runs with ease on the back of a massive 242-run partnership between captain Steven Smith and George Bailey. Both batsmen scored centuries, with Smith scoring 149 and Bailey getting 112 runs.
India had batted impressively in the first innings with Rohit Sharma's unbeaten 171 being the highlight. Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli stitched together a 207-run partnership to drive India to a score above 300, with Kohli unlucky to miss out on a century as he holed out for a 97-ball 91.
However, on a belter of a pitch, Smith and Bailey outdid the efforts of Sharma and Kohli. It started off well for India with newcomer Barinder Sran picking up two early wickets and reducing Australia to 21/2. However, Smith and Bailey consolidated the innings and then got into fourth gear, scoring relentlessly to get the team out of trouble. In the end, it was quite a facile victory for the home team, who rarely looked troubled after the wobbly start.
The second ODI will be played on Friday at Brisbane.
Final score: Australia 310/5 in 49.2 overs beat India 309/3 in 50 overs by five wickets.
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