India kick-started their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign with a hard-fought 6-wicket win over Australia on Sunday (October 8) in Chennai.
Australia won the toss and opted to bat first on a pitch that had something on offer for the spinners, and the decision backfired as they were bundled out for 199 by India.
Only David Warner (41) and Steve Smith (46) could make a sizeable score. Ravindra Jadeja (3/28), Jasprit Bumrah (2/35), and Kuldeep Yadav (2/42) were the most successful bowlers for India.
In reply, India were reduced to 2/3 as Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer were dismissed for ducks. However, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul stabilized the innings and got the hosts back on track after the initial storm.
Kohli made 85, and Rahul remained unbeaten on 97 as the duo added 165 runs for the fourth wicket to seal the victory for India, with 52 balls to spare. Josh Hazlewood bowled superbly to pick up 3/38 for Australia.
The Indian dugout seemed extremely tense after the fall of three early wickets, but once the partnership got going, things normalized and the players seemed much more at ease.
Suryakumar Yadav, who wasn't part of the playing XI, was enjoying his meal when the cameraman panned the camera on him. Surya looked startled as he saw himself on the big screen and paused while eating, before cheekily looking towards the cameraman to see if he had moved away.
The 33-year-old hilariously reposted the video clip of the incident on his Instagram stories and wrote ‘Pakdaaa gaya (Got caught)’ as the caption.