Kohli's 50th and the bails won't budge... WORLD CUP TALKING POINTS

The Cricketer picks out some of the key conversation-starters from India's victory over Australia at The Oval

Dominant Dhawan

At Southampton it was Rohit who rolled over the opposition on his way to three figures. Today it was Shikhar Dhawan’s turn to hit a hundred at the top of the order.

Two matches into the tournament and both your openers have hit centuries. Decent.

Australia’s weakness

If Australia are going to compete with the top sides in this tournament, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc need help. Combined, Australia’s opening pair have taken 13 wickets at an average 22.11, with an economy rate of 5.19.

Nathan Coulter-Nile, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa have picked up nine wickets at 80.08 collectively, with an economy rate of 6.51. 

At the start of the match, Cummins and Starc sent down seven overs from which India took 22 runs. Coulter-Nile came on first change and gave up 14 in his first over. 

^{Dhawan celebrates his 17th ODI hundred}

Kohli’s 50th

At one stage, Kohli’s innings caused the word “sluggish” to be uttered on commentary. Virat responded by whipping Starc miles into the crowd over the leg side boundary.

It is true, the skipper was not at his rampant best, but even so, he still ended up with 82 beside his name at quicker than a run a ball.

An inside-out drive over cover - arguably the best stroke in the tournament so far - followed as Kohli started to move through his repertoire. 

The two openers have centuries to their names, Kohli surely won’t be far behind.

This was Kohli’s 50th one-day international 50. He now owns 91 scores of 50 or more in 221 ODI innings. Sachin leads the way with 145.

Elsewhere, when Steve Smith found himself being booed on the long-on boundary, India’s captain appeared to motion to his fans to stop. A bit of class from Virat.

Bails won’t budge

It’s happened again. David Warner was the latest batsman to benefit from those stubborn zing bails. The Australia opener dragged Jasprit Bumrah’s first ball onto his boot before a considerable thud into the stumps, but the bails refused to go anywhere.

That’s the fifth instance of the bails failing to dislodge when the stumps have been hit in the World Cup so far.

This can’t keep happening with the bails !!! Hard enough being a bowler nowadays .. needs changing

— Nasser Hussain (@nassercricket) June 9, 2019

Warner’s wobble

We are not talking Gavaskar levels of slow going by any stretch of the imagination. But, chasing a mammoth total, Australia needed the aggressive opener to hit overdrive. He did not. A 77-ball fifty failed to mature into anything more useful with Warner falling for 56 off 84.

Dhoni still dangerous

Striking at 192.85 doesn’t do much for those trying to portray Dhoni as an old man on the way out. A quick-fire 27 had the India fans in fine voice. Dhoni had Starc rattled enough for the bowler to change his angle. Three of the wicketkeeper-batsman’s boundaries - including a monster six over deep square - came off Starc’s bowling.

Carey's cameo

The game was probably done and dusted but Alex Carey went out swinging.The wicketkeeper-batsman's 25-ball fifty was the fastest half-century of the tournament so far.

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