Australia set India target of 200 to win key Cricket World Cup 2023 clash – live | Cricket World Cup 2023

38th over: India 168-4 (Rahul 75, Hardik 1). Target 200. Hardik off the mark pulling – the first new batter to the middle for 36 overs. They put on 165.

WICKET! Kohli c Labuschagne b Hazlewood 85 (116) India 167-4

37th over: India 167-3 (Kohli 85, KL Rahul 75). Target 200. Kohli misses out on popping a Zampa fully into the crowd and swears at himself – he knows there’s a World Cup ton here for him; Rahul more a risk to that than the bowlers at this stage of the chase. Back on strike for the final ball, he gets another full toss but pats it gently to long on – that’ll pop him back on strike with 15/33 needed.

36th over: India 159-3 (Kohli 81, KL Rahul 71). Target 200. Shane Watson says that in hindsight, Hazlewood might’ve bowled five off the top instead of four and Starc a couple more than his initial three when the ball was really moving around off the seam and through the air. Good point. It’s Hazlewood again here in his 7th, who started with that double-wicket maiden that brought this pair together 150 runs ago; what a difference a couple of hours makes. Even the mistimed Rahul shots are effective tonight, lobbing over midwicket for a couple more. And having kept the strike, he nudges past the bowler with such absurd timing that the bowler has no chance not Maxwell at mid-on on the circle – that’s his seventh four. Eight from the over, 41 to go. The game-within-a-game, if you like: Rahul back on strike. Might he overtake Kohli? Another ball change.

35th over: India 151-3 (Kohli 80, KL Rahul 64). Target 200. Zampa up for leg before against Kohli but there’s an inside edge, which they agree upon and don’t refer upstairs. Every marker is getting the full treatment from the Chennai crowd, including the 150, raised with a Rahul single down the ground.

34th over: India 146-3 (Kohli 77, KL Rahul 62). Target 200. Whack! Kohli goes after a Starc ball banged in from around the wicket and cops it flush on the helmet. The contact is on the front right; he’ll need a new helmet. The bowler goes up to him to make sure he’s okay and gets a quick thumbs up. And whaddayaknow, next ball after the delay is carved away behind point for a stunning boundary. “That gives me shivers,” says Shane Watson on comms before discussing how that shot was Australia’s undoing at the T20 World Cup match against India at Mohali in 2016 – the best T20 innings I’ve ever seen.

33rd over: India 139-3 (Kohli 71, KL Rahul 61). Target 200. Shuffling the pack to the extent he can, Cummins throws the ball back to Zampa for a third go. And sure enough, he’s met with the broad blade of Kohli, thumping a ball that’s too short away through cover for a dominant boundary. Seven off it, 61 to. go. Kohli needs 29 of them for a ton unless Rahul can get 39 more first. Probably not a good PR move from the latter to take such an interventionalist approach, mind.

32nd over: India 132-3 (Kohli 65, KL Rahul 60). Target 200. Shoooot! Rahul takes on Starc through the covers and nails it. Can’t be said enough how stunning his strokeplay has been tonight – just about the best in the world to watch when going strong. Eight off Starc. They should be able to win this in 42ish.

31st over: India 124-3 (Kohli 62, KL Rahul 56). Target 200. A change of ball mid-over, the original one is soaked and brown. You can make a case that this will suit either team depending on how you see it. Four off Maxwell. Starc coming back for the next one; the only choice for Cummins at this stage.

30th over: India 120-3 (Kohli 60, KL Rahul 54). Target 200. Just one off Cummins here. Not sure about this strategy – haven’t we hit the point where they can really make life difficult for Australia with a NRR pounding, per what NZ did to England? Drinks on the field. They can chat about it then.

29th over: India 119-3 (Kohli 60, KL Rahul 53). Target 200. The ball is thrown back to Maxwell, who was really good earlier giving nothing away in his four overs. If he can go bang/bang, it might well be game-on again. But the home side, mindful of this too, play the percentages and knock it around to the sweepers as they have done so well since the last time Maxwell was in the attack. Oooh, not far away with an inside edge off a slower ball but Rahul corrects himself to the next, down the long-on for one. Three off. India’s required rate, for what it’s worth, is 3.9. But they’d be mad not to put the foot down soon here with Net Run Rate so important in six weeks from now.

28th over: India 116-3 (Kohli 59, KL Rahul 51). Target 200. The stadium goes wild when Cummins misses the pitch with a ball that spits out the side of his hand. Messy. Free hit now. Oh, not a bad bumper but called a wide. Juuuust. Kohli smiles; another free hit coming his way, which is clubs away over midwicket with a minimum of fuss for four! Kohli now walks at Cummins before middling him out deep point. Earlier in the eventful over Rahul drove to deep point too, bringing up his half-century an over after the former captain. He’s batted beautifully. What a luxury bringing him back off the injury bench.

27th over: India 105-3 (Kohli 53, KL Rahul 49). Target 200. Next milestone: a 100-run stand between this pair. They came together with the crowd silent at 2-3 with no runs off the bat. Nearly two hours later, they’ve got India into a position where they can think again about a quick kill and some juicy net run rate. Zampa, in his 5th over, is being helped to sweepers at will. Maxwell again?

Kohli to 50!

25th over: India 97-3 (Kohli 48, KL Rahul 46). Target 200. Each single is being roared by the crowd, who full well know that this is a quiet but crucial passage of play. Off Zampa, who has tightened up after changing ends, they take five runs to the sweepers. Halfway there. “Crunch time for Australia,” says their former captain Aaron Finch. The Indian pair enjoy an impromptu drinks break.

24th over: India 92-3 (Kohli 45, KL Rahul 44). Target 200. The one thing going Australia’s way is India aren’t smacking the cover off it here. Just two singles off Halzewood. So, the last five overs have earned 19 runs. A couple of wickets, to take the positive spin from that, means they have enough runs – at this stage. The challenge is how chilled out this pair looks in their accumulation.

23rd over: India 90-3 (Kohli 44, KL Rahul 43). Target 200. Zampa has changed ends with a lot of attention on the ball, which will be really wet by now. Not going to be easy for a legspinner after dark in this World Cup. But just three singles off the over, which will help his confidence after going around earlier. If Australia are any chance, Zampa will need to play a big role, and very soon.

22nd over: India 87-3 (Kohli 42, KL Rahul 42). Target 200. 0/53 in the second ten overs after 3/27 in the first. To think, once again, about the game of cricket we’re watching if Carey commits fully and tells Marsh to sod off and takes the Kohli catch. That was from the bowling of Hazlewood, who is back into the attack here but there’s nothing going on an hour and a half after all the action, five singles to the sweepers. As Nannes says on commentary, if you’re going to cross-seam this early into a spell it isn’t a great sign. It’ll be wet out there too.

21st over: India 82-3 (Kohli 39, KL Rahul 40). Target 200. Starc wouldn’t ordinarily bowl a third over in this spell but there will be no final ten to hold him back for, so it is worth a go. The issue for the left-armer is the ball isn’t hooping around as it did before and he’s not giving it much of a chance to either, banging in a couple more for the top edge. He finds some variable bounce in the middle of the set – at some stage, they need one of those to really shoot through. He looks far more likely when fuller but Rahul is defending so well, he’s through it. Two off. Well bowled, well played. Starc has four more.

20th over: India 80-3 (Kohli 38, KL Rahul 39). Target 200. Rahul overtakes Kohli in a Zampa over that is perfectly fine but still perfect for India – seven runs, all to the sweepers, no risks. This is getting clinical. Australia need a twist.

19th over: India 73-3 (Kohli 36, KL Rahul 34). Target 200. Rahul cuts late again, down to deep third off Starc – he’s looking a million bucks here. Took a lot for the right-hander to make it back after a serious thigh tear during the IPL but he’s back for the tournament that matters most. The window for Australia feels small now – they have to get rid of both of these set men in the next five overs or so; breaking this partnership alone is unlikely to suffice. Another Starc over dealt with – he’s now half way through his allocation. Very good batting.

18th over: India 69-3 (Kohli 34, KL Rahul 32). Target 200. Pressure straight on Zampa via a brilliant late cut from Rahul, to a delivery that was darting back towards his off-stump too. Well bowled, majestically played. Oh, and he does it again two balls later. A bit more width this time around but what hands, what touch. Three in the over when Zampa overcorrects with a full toss, put away through cover. 13 from the over and suddenly all the pressure is on Australia.

17th over: India 56-3 (Kohli 33, KL Rahul 20). Target 200. Starc back. Understandable given he held seven back and it’s improbable this is going the full 50, but surely Zampa needs to have a say here soon? Has a good record against Kohli too. Just four off but India won’t mind – it’s about denying Starc wickets in a spell like this. Oh, and it will be Zampa next, replacing Maxwell.

Bit of news from the venue where England play next, vs Bangladesh.

16th over: India 52-3 (Kohli 31, KL Rahul 18). Target 200. Maxwell continues and beats Rahul right away with extra bounce but he’s on top of it from the next, cutting a couple. Three off, giving him 0/9 from four. Zampa for Green, surely? We saw India’s spinners go to work together around this time.

15th over: India 49-3 (Kohli 31, KL Rahul 15). Target 200. Green has started well, past Kohli with a ball that genuinely moves through the air. But after four dots, Kohli plays the shot-of-the-chase so far, a perfect flick wide of Maxwell at midwicket for four. Class. Oh, and he does it again! This time without the same degree of difficulty with this ball there to be hit from the line of the leg stump and hit it is. They go to drinks with India belatedly where they need to be with 151 to go in 35 overs, Kohli making the very most of his earlier life.

14th over: India 41-3 (Kohli 23, KL Rahul 15). Target 200. Set and forget for Maxwell, three singles out to the legside sweepers. I didn’t anticipate thinking much about the required run rate when jumping on – it’s 4.4 from here.

13th over: India 38-3 (Kohli 21, KL Rahul 14). Target 200. Green into the attack and, as usual, starts with a bouncer. Kohli surely knows it is coming, hooking along the turf to square leg for one. Rahul gives the strike straight back, out to deep point. Pfffft, let’s fast forward to the ball: a proper snorter past Rahul’s edge then grille. Green reckons there is an edge but doesn’t review; Finch thinks so too. We get a look at the technology between overs… nup, no edge. But some seed, and comes the delivery after one keeps low. Nothing about this is easy.

12th over: India 35-3 (Kohli 19, KL Rahul 12). Target 200. It’s dot machine Maxwell, eight in his first nine balls, before Rahul punched him to long-on for one and Kohli does the same to midwicket. Australia need to bowl India out to win but they aren’t hurt at all by these tight overs. He’s got 0/3 from two.

11th over: India 33-3 (Kohli 18, KL Rahul 12). Target 200. Some volatility from Cummins to Rahul with one keeping low. But no concerns with a fuller ball outside off, pushed through point with Martyn-esque timing for four.

“The situation and theatre remind me of India’s game against Pakistan in the 2016 World T20 at Eden Gardens,” writes Kartikey Srivastava. “A low-scoring thriller with Virat batting on a different pitch to everyone else to take India home. History repeating itself?” Kohli 100* in a tight win feels so likely.

10th over: India 27-3 (Kohli 17, KL Rahul 7). Target 200. Maxwell to Kohli – these two have been playing against and with each other for more than a decade now. Two dots to begin; very tidy. As Dirk Nannes says on TV, it’s a long time since Maxwell could be called a ‘part-timer’ – he’s much better than that. And that’s shown through the rest of his first over, the stumps in play throughout, a single for Kohli all that’s on offer. Top start from a key man on a surface that’s surely going to turn and bounce over the next couple of hours. That’s the end of a power play the Australians have dominated but should’ve been even better…

9th over: India 26-3 (Kohli 16, KL Rahul 7). Target 200. Four singles to start Cummins’ second over, the final in the sequence a quick one that shows confidence from Kohli to call Rahul through. Aaron Finch picks up on that on TV as well with the crowd involved again. They replay the dropped chance over and over, Finch also noting that this is how Kohli fell to Australia in the 2015 semi at the SCG. Another single dropped into the legside to finish. Much better.

8th over: India 21-3 (Kohli 13, KL Rahul 5). Target 200. If (when?) India claim the points in a couple of hours, we have the moment that will be replayed thousands of times. Hazlewood gets on Kohli with a ripper of a short ball. He takes it on from the stickers of the splice and the ball goes nowhere – to leg gully. It’s Carey’s but Mitch Marsh calls himself in from square leg. They both run at it for a time then Marsh insists it is his and… guess what? DROPPED! He didn’t get a hand on it, the ball thumping into his chest after diving knees first. A dreadful mess. The chance expires. That’s always a wicketkeeper’s catch.

7th over: India 20-3 (Kohli 12, KL Rahul 5). Target 200. Here’s the skipper, which reflects the fact that he’ll use Starc’s overs very carefully through this tournament given he can swing the old ball just as prodigiously. And he’s into that back-of-a-length zone right away, giving away a single to each but that’s it. The field-up factor doesn’t matter too much with just 200 to chase, but India are right on track for the worst power play of the tournament so far.

Andrew Benton has entered my inbox – hello, friend. “I was to write that this should be a walk in the park for India then ‘piece of cake’ came to mind rapidly followed by ‘cakewalk’, and now I’m so confused that I don’t know if I think it’ll be India or Australia who’ll have their cake and eat it. Though, I do know that one of them will be eating humble pie. And…that might just be India!”

In any scenario, I want a slice.

6th over: India 18-3 (Kohli 11, KL Rahul 4). Target 200. Hazlewood is in this team, as Shane Watson explains on telly, because he has the ability to hit the same spot so often from such a great height. The field might be up but there’s nothing Kohli can do here without considerable risk. Ohhh! And he takes one of those here throwing his hands at a ball just outside the line of the off stump and it takes off from the seam to beat the blade. This is the class from a man who, remember, was part of the side that won the World Cup eight years ago. But Kohli responds to the pressure the best way he can, shimmying out of his ground to reach the next delivery on the half volley, driving it past mid-off for four. A couple more to finish, with a tuck wide of Starc at backward square.

5th over: India 12-3 (Kohli 5, KL Rahul 4). Target 200. Win predictor has Australia at 51% as the over begins. Kohli is playing himself in carefully, as he must. A confident push to mid-off is the only run off the bat here. This really is the sort of situation Kohli thrives on, and every Australian will know it.

4th over: India 10-3 (Kohli 4, KL Rahul 4). Target 200. Four quality dots from Hazlewood to Kohli, testing his defence then his patience. A single comes from ball five, albeit a shot played with one hand off the bat to mid-on. There’s a cheer from the crowd – the first run off Hazlewood; his 11th ball and he has two wickets already. A much bigger cheer to finish though, with KL Rahul threading a cover drive to the rope, the first boundary of the chase. Indian fans breathe.

3rd over: India 5-3 (Kohli 3, KL Rahul 0). Target 200. Kohli clips a couple to start Starc’s new over – the first runs from the bat coming from the 13th ball of the chase. Hazlewood’s over, by the way, was a double-wicket maiden. Australia backed their Plan A, to go with their big quicks in the absence of a second spinner, and this is some endorsement early on. But it’s a long way to go with only 199 on the board and Virat down the business end – he loves this stuff. Kohli has a go at a wide one and misses… gosh, imagine he nicks that? Anyway, he didn’t. A single to mid-off from the penultimate ball gives KL Rahul one ball to look at here and he, quite rightly, leaves it alone. Shots of Rohit sitting on the balcony between overs, he looks nothing short of stunned. Back to Hazlewood.

WICKET! Shreyas c Warner b Hazlewood 0. India 2-3

WICKET! Rohit lbw b Hazlewood 0. India 2-2