Numbers Game: Super King Dhoni continues love affair with Chennai

Hardik Pandya's brilliant all-round showing combined with some excellent bowling by the spinners helped India outclass Australia by 26 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method in the rain-hit first One-Day International, in Chennai, on Sunday.

Pandya blasted a career-best 66-ball 83, while Chennai's favourite son Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a responsible knock of 79 off 88 balls to guide India to a competitive 281 for seven despite a top-order collapse.

Following a lengthy mid-innings rain break left Australia needing to score a revised target of 164 runs in 21 overs.

Glenn Maxwell smashed 39 and James Faulkner made 32 not out but Pandya (2-28) and India’s spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal (3-30) and Kuldeep Yadav (2-33) combined to restrict Australia to 137-9.

Statistical highlights of the first ODI between India and Australia:

1 India's 26-run triumph is their first in two matches against Australia in ODIs in Chennai. They had lost by one run to Australia at this venue on October 9, 1987.

100 Mahendra Singh Dhoni averages 100-plus in ODIs at M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai -- his tally being 401 in six innings, including two hundreds and a fifty, at an average of 100.25.

7 Dhoni's seventh fifty vs Australia is his 66th in ODIs.

89 After a poor season last year averaging 27.80, Dhoni is averaging 89.57 in ODIs this year -- his aggregate being 627 in 14 innings, including a century and five fifties. This is his best performance in terms of averages in a calendar year.

241 Dhoni has managed 241 runs before being dismissed in this match vs Australia in ODIs. Against Sri Lanka in his previous four innings, he had remained unbeaten.

200 Dhoni (212) is one of the five batsmen to have hit 200 sixes or more in ODIs. The other four being Shahid Afridi (351), Sanath Jayasuriya (270), Chris Gayle (238) and Brendon McCullum (200).

75 Dhoni is averaging 75-plus in wins in ODIs, his tally being 5878 (ave. 75.35) in 170 matches -- the highest among the batsmen with atleast 4000 runs in wins.

83 Hardik Pandya (83 off  balls) has posted his highest ever score in ODIs, eclipsing the 76 vs Pakistan at The Oval on June 18, 2017. Pandya's only other half century in ODIs is 56 vs England at Kolkata on January 22.

3 Pandya has become the third Indian all-rounder to produce a 75-plus score apart from capturing two wickets vs Australia in the same ODI.  He joins Sachin Tendulkar (141 and 4-38 at Dhaka on October 28, 1998) and Robin Singh (75 and 2-43 at The Oval on June 4, 1999).

2 For the second time in his ODI career, Pandya has recorded a fifty and bagged two or more wickets in the same match - the first instance being 56 and 3 for 49 vs England at Kolkata on January 22, 2017.

32 Pandya has posted 32 sixes in 17 innings in international cricket -- the highest by an Indian batsman this year.

3 Pandya recorded three consecutive sixes off Zampa -- a distinction accomplished by him for the third time in ODIs and once in Tests. The all-rounder had recorded the aforesaid feat earlier this year also -- twice in the ICC Champions Trophy - both times against Pakistan (off Imad Wasim at Birmingham on June 4 and off Shadab Khan at The Oval in the Final on June 18) and off Pushpakumara vs Sri Lanka in the Pallekele Test.

75 Number six and seven batsmen have recorded 75-plus for the first time in the same ODI innings for India -- Mahendra Singh Dhoni (79) and Hardik Pandya (83). In all, this is the fourth instance in ODIs.

6 Pandya and Dhoni were involved in a stand of 118 -- India's first century partnership for the sixth wicket vs Australia in ODIs in India. Overall the said partnership is India's second century stand for this wicket vs Australia in ODIs -- the highest being 123 between Sadagoppan Ramesh and Robin Singh at Colombo, SSC on August 28, 1999.

125 Glenn Maxwell enjoys an impressive strike rate (125.13) in ODIs -- his tally being 2016 at an average of 33.04 in 69 innings -- the highest among the batsmen with at least 2,000 runs in ODIs.

12 Virat Kohli has posted his second duck as captain in ODIs -- both in 2017 -- vs Sri Lanka at The Oval on June 8 and vs Australia at Chepauk on September 17. In all, Kohli has posted 12 ducks in ODIs. However,
during the last two years, he did not record a single duck.

80 Kohli became the first captain to register winning % of 80.00 in ODIs -- 28 wins, seven losses and one no-result game out of 36.