Australia made a winning start to the three-match ODI series as they beat India by 66 runs in the first game at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

Chasing a mammoth target, India needed a brisk start and they got one. Mitchell Starc conceded 20 runs in the first over, spraying the ball around, and the duo of Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal played some crisp shots as India moved past fifty in the fifth over.

But, Josh Hazlewood broke the Dhawan-Agarwal partnership after the right-hander got in the sixth over after mistiming his shot off a short-delivery.

Australia had a chance to get the big wicket of Virat Kohli in the next over. But Adam Zampa could not hold on to a chance in the deep. Kohli followed that up with two successive fours off Pat Cummins and then whipped a six in the right-arm pacer’s next over.

However, Hazlewood struck twice in the 10th over of the Indian chase, dismissing Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. While Dhawan and KL Rahul took India past 100, Zampa got the latter out in the 14th over to give Australia their fourth wicket.

India needed a partnership and Dhawan and Hardik Pandya did just that. The pair put up a remarkable fight and kept India’s hopes alive.

Pandya did not take too long to announce his arrival in the middle as he hit two fours and a six across the 17th and 18th over. The right-handed hit his second six of the match in the 20th over before India moved past the 150-run mark in the 22nd over. Pandya then went after Glenn Maxwell in the next over, creaming two sixes and a four to bring up his fifty.

In the 25th over, Dhawan completed his fifty as India reached the 180-run mark at the halfway stage of the chase. The Dhawan-Pandya duo completed a hundred-run partnership in the 29th over as India brought up 200.

The two added 46 runs more together before Zampa broke the partnership, dismissing Dhawan for 74 in the 35th over. Four overs later, Zampa picked his third wicket of the match as he had Pandya caught at long-on after an impressive 90-run knock.

While India managed to go past 300, Australia limited India to 308/8 to complete a 66-run win.

Earlier, Australia, who elected to bat in the series-opener, rode on Aaron Finch and Steve Smith’s hundreds to post 374/6 on the board.

While Finch was a little watchful at the start, he shifted gears as Australia brought up their fifty in the 10th over. Finch and David Warner kept the scorecard ticking as Australia moved past 70 after 15 overs.

The Australian skipper brought up his fifty in the 19th over and completed a hundred-run opening stand with Warner in the same over. A few overs later, Warner notched up his 22nd ODI fifty.

The pair continued to make merry and completed a 150-run stand in the 28th over. But India managed to get a much-needed breakthrough in the same over as Warner was caught behind the wickets off Mohammad Shami’s bowling.

Smith, who replaced Warner in the middle, and Finch then added 58 runs in the span of 29th to 36th over.

Smith, who was looking to up the ante, had a life in the 37th over and he made it count, creaming as many as five fours over the course of two overs to zoom past fifty.

Meanwhile, Finch completed a well-compiled hundred – his 17th in the ODIs. However, India pulled back the things as Jasprit Bumrah got Finch out for 114 in the 40th over and Yuzvendra Chahal had Marcus Stoinis in the next over.

Stoinis’ fall brought Glenn Maxwell into the middle and he and Smith added 57 runs together 25 balls, with Maxwell, scoring 45 of those runs from 19 balls, before being dismissed in the 45th over.

While Marnus Labuschagne got out for 2, Smith marched past hundred in 62 balls. Although Smith got out in the final over for 105, Australia put 374/6 on the board. 

Brief Scores: Australia 374/6 (Aaron Finch 114, Steve Smith 105; Mohammad Shami 3/59) beat India 308/8 (Hardik Pandya 90, Shikhar Dhawan 74; Adam Zampa 4/54) by 66 runs