Australia served a timely reminder to the Indian team that they still have gaps in their white-ball cricket as the world champions thrashed the tourists by seven wickets in the rain-affected first ODI in Perth.
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh scored 46 not out as the hosts eased to the target of 131 on Sunday in a match that was reduced to 26 overs a side.
India scored a below-par 136-9 after the first innings was interrupted a number of times. The tourists struggled to set any tempo as the available overs kept reducing with each break.
More importantly, returning stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed to get going in challenging conditions, underlining the daunting task that awaits them as they look to kick-start their careers after being away from international cricket for most of the year.
Sensing the pressure India's top order would be, Australian captain Marsh won the toss and chose to field amid inclement weather in the West Australian capital.
Opening bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc were in great touch early, troubling the Indian batters with impressive lines and movement.
Hazlewood had former captain Rohit (8) caught at second slip before Starc claimed Kohli for a duck, leaving the visitors reeling at 21-2.
Kohli once again fell chasing a wide delivery outside off-stump, giving more reasons to believe the ageing superstars of Indian cricket could be nearing the end of their careers.
India captain Shubman Gill was unlucky to be caught by wicketkeeper Josh Philippe down the leg side off Nathan Ellis for 10 before the first rain delay, with India 23-3 after 8.5 overs.
The 18 runs between Rohit, Gill and Kohli was the lowest aggregate by India’s top three in a men’s ODI since 2019.
Hazlewood grabbed his second upon resumption when Shreyas Iyer gloved a ball to Philippe before a long delay with India reduced to 45-4.
When they eventually resumed, the game was reduced to 26 overs.
KL Rahul tried to boost the scoring and smashed two huge sixes but fell on the boundary going for a third, finishing on 38 off 31 balls.
He shared a 39-run partnership with Axar Patel (31) and 31 with Washington Sundar (10) to add some respectability to the total.
All-rounder Nitish Reddy hit 19 runs off the last two overs but a total of 136-9 was too meagre.
Marsh kept India's attack, which did not have Jasprit Bumrah, at bay even as seamers and spinners continued to get assistance on a tacky surface.
Matt Renshaw was unbeaten on 21 alongside Marsh as Australia reached a revised target of 131 with 29 balls remaining. Josh Philippe contributed 37, batting at number four.
Despite the stop-start nature of the match, Australia captain Marsh was pleased with the clinical performance.
“Obviously the weather played its part today,” Marsh said. “But it's nice to get a win.
“The ball was swinging around for both teams out there so it was a little bit of a challenge to get through.
“I was proud of the way our young guys came out and got the job done.”
His counterpart Gill said the team lost the initiative in the first 10 overs itself after losing three quick wickets.
“When you lose three wickets in the powerplay you are always trying to play a catch-up game,” Gill said.
“But there are a lot of learning for us from this game and a lot of positives as well.”
India’s eight-game tour of Australia will continue with ODIs in Adelaide on Thursday and Sydney on Saturday. The five-game T20 series begins October 29.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
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FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
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December 30
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Final, 7pm
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Schedule:
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
