Australia beat India by 66 runs to clinch the first ODI
Sydney, Nov 27: Hardik Pandya's career-best effort wasn't good enough to compensate for a forgettable bowling effort as India slumped to a 66-run defeat against Australia in the first ODI, making a rather unimpressive start to the tour, here on Friday.
Virat Kohli's men started exactly on a note they wouldn't have liked, giving away 374 runs in 50 overs with rival captain Aaron Finch (114 off 124 balls) and his illustrious predecessor Steve Smith (105 off 66 balls) hitting contrasting hundreds.
A pitch that looked docile during the first half suddenly came to life in the second as Josh Hazlewood (3/55) bounced out the Indian top-order, including Kohli and a frightened Shreyas Iyer, who got himself into a tangle.
Pandya's 76-ball 90 and a 128-run stand with senior opener Shikhar Dhawan (74 off 86 balls) delayed the inevitable but it was always a catch-up game after the team was reduced to 101 for 4 inside 14 overs.
Big-hearted leg-spinner Adam Zampa (4/54 in 10 overs) dismissed Dhawan and Pandya in quick succession as India surrendered to scoreboard pressure finishing at 308/8 after 50 overs.
Pandya, who hit seven fours and four sixes, carried his blazing IPL batting form into the first game of the series but it was his fast-medium bowling that Kohli missed on the day as he lacked options when Smith sent his regular bowlers on a leather-hunt.
India badly missed a sixth bowling option with none of their specialist batters good enough to roll their arms for even two to three overs.
It was a day when the bowling unit barring Mohammed Shami (3/59 in 10 overs) flopped badly and poor fielding only added to their woes.
As many as three sitters were dropped and numerous sloppy efforts on the field added to the misery.
The normally steady Yuzvendra Chahal (1/89 in 10 overs) earned the ignominy of worst figures by an Indian spinner and Jasprit Bumrah's wretched ODI form (1/73 in 10 overs) continued.
India's fastest bowler Navdeep Saini (1/83 in 10 overs) also struggled like any newcomer does, unable to hit the right length on Australian tracks.
Ravindra Jadeja (0/63 in 10 overs) wasn't as costly as Chahal but since the past two and half months, his bowling has lacked sting.
India's eternal nemesis Smith seems ready to torment them a lot in next two months if his 11 fours and four sixes were any indication on Friday.
Not for once was he troubled by the Indian bowlers, who were already under the pump after a 156-run opening stand between Finch and David Warner (69).
A lot of credit should go to Warner and Finch for the manner in which they attacked Chahal.
While Finch used his feet to smother the spin and play against the turn, Warner stayed back in the crease to hit Chahal with the turn, disturbing his line and length completely.
It helped as Smith and Maxwell (45 off 19 balls) had no problems in flaying the bowlers during the last 10 overs.
While chasing, Mitchell Starc's wayward first over that cost 20 runs did give India the much required impetus at the onset but Hazlewood's splendid short bowling saw the end of Mayank Agarwal (22 off 18 balls), Kohli (21 in 21 balls) leaving the visitors out of sorts in a jiffy.
Vice-captain KL Rahul (12) couldn't keep down an innocuous full-toss from Zampa and India were in deep trouble even before 15 overs had ended.
A high percentage of dot balls (148) in the Indian innings also showed how only one team dominated the proceedings.
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CNN host evacuates on live television in Abu Dhabi amid Israel-Iran fire exchange
A live broadcast by CNN from Abu Dhabi was briefly interrupted after emergency alarm systems were activated inside the network’s office here, as tensions escalated sharply in the Middle East after US and Israel struck Iran.
Senior anchor and CNN Abu Dhabi Managing Editor Becky Anderson was on air when the alarms sounded.
Anderson informed viewers that she and her team had been instructed to seek immediate shelter in line with local emergency protocols.
“I’m Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi with the alarms going off here suggesting we should seek immediate shelter. So we’ll do that. Our breaking news coverage continues after this short break. Stay with us,” she said before the broadcast cut.
CNN host in Abu Dhabi EVACUATES ON LIVE TELEVISION as Israel and Iran exchange fire across Middle East
— RT (@RT_com) February 28, 2026
'We'll be back after this short break' pic.twitter.com/YY5GDILBVQ
The network operates a major, state-of-the-art broadcasting and production centre in Abu Dhabi, alongside its hubs in Atlanta, London and Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, similar emergency alerts disrupted a live broadcast on Al Jazeera in Doha. National emergency warnings were heard on air, advising residents to take shelter.
During the broadcast, a presenter said the alert system had been activated following reports of an Iranian missile targeting U.S. interests in Qatar.
“This is the alarm, by the way, that we all get on our phones here in Doha when there is an urgency. And so the national emergency alert system has gone off here in Qatar. The defense ministry in Qatar announcing just a short while ago that an Iranian missile has been intercepted here in Qatar, warning citizens basically to take shelter. Apologies, there's a bit of chaos in the newsroom, as you can imagine, because this is also happening here in Qatar, our emergency systems going off here,” the presenter said.
National emergency alerts blared during a live Al Jazeera broadcast just moments before explosions were heard in Qatar’s capital, Doha. The alert came as Iranian missiles targeting US interests the country were successfully intercepted. pic.twitter.com/eT6RD8fAZT
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 28, 2026
The development came after Iran on Saturday attacked the UAE's Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Qatar's Doha, and Saudi Arabia's Riyadh hours after Israel and the US conducted joint strikes on Iran.
