The men in blue commenced their campaign with a remarkable triumph over the five-time champions, Australia, at the Chepauk stadium. Kohli and KL Rahul forged a sturdy recovery partnership that rescued India from a precarious situation. During this partnership, Australian captain Pat Cummins bowled an unusually wide delivery, which was called a no-ball.
As KL Rahul and Virat Kohli held the fort in the middle following a rocky start to the chase, Pat Cummins delivered an unusual delivery. It appeared that Cummins had difficulty gripping the ball correctly in his hand, resulting in an illegal delivery.
While defending a modest target of 200 runs, Australia made an impressive start by taking three early wickets for just four runs. However, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul then initiated a rebuilding phase in which they navigated through Hazelwood’s exceptional spell.
After enduring a tight spell from Hazelwood and Starc, Cummins entered the attack and delivered a loose delivery, resulting in a no-ball. Strangely, it wasn’t an above-waist-height delivery, nor did he overstep. The no-ball was attributed to Cummins’ lack of control while bowling.
The Australian captain delivered the ball outside the pitch, which, according to MCC rules, is deemed a no-ball. However, Cummins had no intention of sending it there; the ball simply slipped out of his hands, presenting Kohli with an unexpected gift.
On the ensuing free-hit delivery, Kohli dispatched a low-pace short delivery beyond the boundary for a four. This boundary relieved significant pressure from the Indian side, as runs had been hard to come by until then.