Warner, Mitchell Marsh inspire Australia to 330
Not allowing Australia to race away was a good way to begin after opting to field, but chipping away with wickets was where India really claimed authority in the first quarter of this match. The early strike came in the first over, Ishant Sharma winning an lbw shout against Aaron Finch with a delivery that swung alarmingly back into the batsman who didn't offer a shot. The debutant Jasprit Bumrah - officially only in the T20 squad but handed his maiden cap as replacement for Bhuvneshwar Kumar - gave Steven Smith a few awkward moments with his quirky action and eventually claimed the big fish for 28, when Smith pulled a short ball to midwicket.
Moments later Rishi Dhawan had his first international scalp when India's habitual tormentor George Bailey got a leading edge to mid-on for six. And when Umesh Yadav's throw from the deep ricocheted off Gurkeerat Singh's knee and onto the stumps, Shaun Marsh was run out with the total 117/4.
All this while, Warner had moved unperturbed to a run-a-ball fifty. India failed to stop him getting to three figures, and therein lost the advantage gained in the first 22 overs. Warner had missed a hundred by seven runs on return to the side in Canberra, but here kept his head to take Australia from to 235/5 with 11 overs left for Mitchell Marsh and the lower order to launch.
Mitchell Marsh was fidgety initially, but two flashy boundaries of Umesh got him into a groove. Umesh was then smacked for six and taken out of the attack, the spinners tucked around to get the legs pumping. Marsh was most lethal when driving down the ground, removing his front leg and thumping the quicker bowlers over mid-off with panache.
Warner powered along to three figures, utilising his crease while by backing away and hammering runs into the offside or past midwicket. It took him 17 balls to get from 90 to a run-a-ball 100 - Warner sprinted two and leapt in the air with the exuberance of a teenager - but the acceleration came quickly, with Warner producing a stunning slap between mid-off and extra cover for four and a flowing six into the sight screen, both off Ishant. The bowler hit back with a slower ball that Warner slapped to point on 122.
Mitchell Marsh had by now breezed to his half-century in 47 balls. He put Yadav off by whistling him down the ground with a clean swing of the bat, and meted out further harsh treatment to Ishant and Bumrah; his front-foot pull for six off the rookie was stunning. Helping him add 85 in just 52 ball was Matthew Wade, cutting and pulling his way to 36 from 27 balls. A pinpoint yorker from Bumrah did for James Faulkner and just three runs came from his last over, the 49th, leaving Marsh six balls to get to his hundred. It came off the second delivery of the last over, his 81st faced, to eclipse a previous best of 89 but Ishant's accuracy meant that Australia managed only four runs.
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