What a start by Australia. I won't be surprised if they decimate India in this ODI series through a 3-0 win. The Indian fielding was pretty bad through and through.
The same sentiment here, i am expecting Australia to dominate the series and it was a really good start for the tournament. I was worried when there was a partnership going on in the middle and they put on a century partnership and with their reputation they could chase a score but once Shikhar Dhawan got out then i was sure it is impossible to chase the score as the tail order is really weak.
Australia made too many runs and it was always difficult for the Indians to chase them and that too on the Sydney cricket ground. We cannot say yet who will win the series and India also played well to make 308 runs in the chase of 374 runs.
Chasing any total close to 400 is a difficult task for any team but like you I also think India played well to reach over 300 runs after losing quick wickets. After losing 4 wickets within the first 15 overs is always going to be hard to chase down a huge target. I think we also need to remember that the team still need time to get back to match fitness as it has been a crazy year for all sports so I do expect India to come out and play much better in the next ODI match. Yes I know that most of the players have been playing in the IPL so they should have match fitness but IPL and International cricket is different in my opinion.
The lack of middle order performance is the reason for the loss of the match. By the time if Shreyas Iyer, Rahul, or Kohli had performed well the match could've gone even closer to win. When the match gets closer with the available ball and runs required, the players get positive hope of winning. Here during the last time the difference was high and isn't easy reachable during the end time.