India vs Australia 2020: The home team is off to a solid start after Australia skipper Aaron Finch won the toss and opted to bat against India in the first One-Day International at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. Opener Finch and David Warner are batting beautifully. At the time of publishing this story, Australia was at 126/0 in 23 overs. The current run rate is 5.48 at the moment. Mayank Agarwal will open for India alongside Shikhar Dhawan in Rohit Sharma’s absence. Steve Smith replaced injured Mitchell Marsh in Australia’s eleven that last played in England.

Security Breach

In a security breach, two protesters made their way into the field of play during the first ODI between India and Australia before being escorted out here on Friday. One of the invaders, carrying a placard denouncing India’s Adani Group’s coal project in Australia, reached close to the pitch just before pacer Navdeep Saini was getting ready to bowl the sixth over of the home team’s innings. The two were escorted out by the security after their brief invasion.

Fans have returned to the ground for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic forced games before empty stadiums across the world. Cricket Australia has allowed filling up the stadiums to up to 50 per cent of their capacity in the India-Australia series. The engagement comprises three ODIs, as many T20 Internationals and four Tests.

Anti-racism gesture

The Indian cricketers on Friday joined their Australian counterparts in forming a barefoot circle on the ground to support the anti-racism movement and acknowledge the culture of indigenous people of the host country. The barefoot circle ceremony was held before the start of the opening One-day International between the two teams here. Australian pacer Pat Cummins had said that it was the team’s way of demonstrating an anti-racism feeling as well as celebrating the indigenous culture of Australia. The barefoot circle is a statement taken up by Australian cricket more broadly to connect with Aboriginal culture and the land on which matches are played.