Australia had India on the mat at 2/3 in the second innings, as they sent back their captain Rohit Sharma, wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer for ducks. Despite putting up a below-par total of 199 on the board in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 opener in Chennai on Sunday, Australia would have been optimistic of a positive result after three early inroads. But the duo of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul had other plans. Rahul and Virat came up with a match-winning 165-run partnership to guide the hosts home with six wickets and 52 balls to spare. (Match Report | Highlights | Full Coverage)
In the process, India and their players rewrote a bunch of records in limited overs cricket. Let's take a look at the statistical highlights from the IND vs AUS 2023 ODI World Cup match in Chennai.
AUS's First Opening WC Match Loss This Century
This was the first World Cup match Australia didn't win in the 2000s. In the previous editions, the ever-dominant Australian side beat Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe, England and Afghanistan in the 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019 World Cups, respectively. India broke that streak on Sunday.
Highest IND Partnership Against AUS In World Cup
Virat-Rahul's 165-run stand was the highest partnership by an Indian pair against Australia in a World Cup match. It was also the highest fourth-wicket partnership between two Indian batters in a World Cup contest.
Lowest Score At Fall Of 3rd Wicket To Win An ODI
India went on to win the match from 2/3, which was the lowest-ever score at the fall of the third wicket in an innings to win an ODI match. The previous lowest was India's 4/3 against Zimbabwe during the 2004 triangular VB Series in Adelaide.
Second Highest Score By Indian WK In World Cup
KL Rahul's unbeaten 97 was the second highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper in a World Cup game. The highest score is India head coach Rahul Dravid's legendary 145-run knock against Sri Lanka in Taunton during the 1999 World Cup, which had led to a record 318-run partnership between Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.
Most Runs By An Indian In ICC Limited-Overs Tournaments
Virat overtook his idol and former India great Sachin Tendulkar in the list of most runs scored for the country in ICC limited-overs tournaments. Virat now has a total of 2785 runs in ICC limited-overs tournaments as against Sachin's 2719 runs.
Most 50-Plus Scores In ODIs
Virat fell short of a ton by 15 runs, but his superb knock was the 113th instance of him posting a 50-plus score in ODIs. With this, Virat overtook former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who had 112 fifty-plus scores to his name in the 50-over format.
Most Catches By An Indian Fielder In World Cup
Virat also became the Indian cricketer with most catches as a fielder in ODI World Cup history. With two catches in the India vs Australia match in Chennai, Virat got to 16 catches in the World Cup, surpassing legendary India leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who has 14 catches in the marquee 50-over tournament.
