Australia beat India in rain-affected opener

Australia claimed a commanding victory over India in the rain-affected opening match of the three-match series in Perth, chasing down a revised DLS target of 131 runs with 29 balls to spare.

Opting to bowl first on a lively Perth surface, the Australian pace attack struck early and often. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc made full use of the bounce and seam movement on offer, removing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cheaply. Shubman Gill was caught down the leg side soon after, leaving India reeling with their top three back in the pavilion inside nine overs.

The rain interruptions further hampered India's momentum, preventing them from building any meaningful partnerships. Hazlewood bowled his entire quota in one spell, returning excellent figures of 7–2–22–2, which included the key wicket of Shreyas Iyer. Late contributions from Axar Patel and KL Rahul, both scoring in the 30s, along with a couple of late sixes from Nitish Kumar, helped India reach 136 in 26 overs.

Set a DLS-adjusted target of 131, Australia approached the chase with composure. Travis Head started brightly with a couple of boundaries before falling to Arshdeep Singh. Matt Short, batting at three, couldn't make an impact, but captain Mitchell Marsh steadied the innings with a confident knock. The skipper showcased his white-ball form, striking three sixes and two fours in the first ten overs before opting to play more cautiously thereafter.

Josh Philippe provided solid support, and the pair added 55 runs for the third wicket to effectively seal the contest. Although Matt Renshaw appeared slightly nervy upon arrival, he managed to find the boundary twice, while Marsh remained unbeaten on 46, guiding Australia home with ease.

The result gives Australia a 1–0 lead in the series ahead of the second match, as the hosts once again demonstrated their strength in seam-friendly conditions and their composure under the DLS system.