India v Australia, 1st ODI, Vadodara

Teams hunt for right combination

October 24, 2009

Sunday, October 25
Start time 09.00 local time (03.30GMT)


Big Picture

Does the audience have the stomach for a seven-match ODI series? The answer will play out during the next couple of weeks. However, if you do get beyond the initial apprehension, this series is extremely vital for both teams. For Australia, as Shane Watson has said, this is a warm-up for the World Cup, while for India, knocked out of the Champions Trophy early, this is a great chance to find the ideal XI and test their fast-bowling resources against a strong opponent.

Australia too have a few questions to answer: Will they give Shaun Marsh, who has had a successful stint in the IPL, an opportunity to open in the first ODI, or will they stick with Tim Paine who did a good job with Shane Watson against England? They might go with Paine at the top and push Marsh down. The middle order will miss the injured injured Michael Clarke, but Clarke has struggled in limited-overs cricket recently: his strike-rate in the 50-over format since the start of 2008 stands at a modest 66.81. However, his skills against spin bowling will be missed.

India will start the first ODI with a bit more hope than they did in the Champions Trophy: Virender Sehwag is back, and immediately the batting line-up looks much more potent. However, Yuvraj Singh is likely to sit out the first ODI due to a finger injury. With Rahul Dravid out, MS Dhoni can easily settle into the Dravid avatar that he has been doing so successfully in recent times: he doesn't hit out as violently as in his early days, and promotes himself when there is a good start so he can anchor the innings and allow the big hitters to express themselves. Expect the Australians to test out Suresh Raina with bouncers; among all the Indian batsmen in the fray, this series will be the biggest for Raina.

However, India will be a little uneasy about their bowling line-up. Munaf Patel should get a game, and it will be interesting to see whether Ishant Sharma, who has been struggling for quite a while now in limited-overs games, is included in the XI.


Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)


Australia - WWWWL


India - WLWLW



Watch out for ...


Harbhajan Singh, who had an excellent tour of New Zealand, where he dazzled one and all with his skills, has been off-colour ever since. The line has again deviated to middle and leg, the trajectory has got flatter and the pace has got quicker. Interestingly, he has not been using the doosra as often as he used to before. Will this series see the comeback of the doosra or will he continue to use it sparingly?

Shane Watson: Much to the relief of his fans, he has been injury-free for some time now and is fast approaching the peak of his career. By virtue of playing in the IPL and his involvement in the last Australian tour of India, Watson is almost an India veteran. He can win a game in a one hour of violent batting and can turn the game around with his aggressive seam bowling. He has already shown, in his brief career, that he is a big-game player. During the IPL held in India, he took an off-stump guard and peppered the onside. That was Twenty20 cricket, but we could see more innovations from him in this series.

Munaf Patel: The battering that the seam attack has received recently made his comeback easier, but he has been putting a lot of effort in the recent times and has got a clutch of wickets to force his way back. He has been a constant feature in the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, where he has been honing his skills. There is not much of a surprise-factor in his bowling: steady line and length, just enough movement, and on his good day, some extra bounce. However, what he brings to the table is the discipline that has been lacking in the likes of RP Singh and Ishant. He can be expected to bowl to the field set, a basic requisite which Dhoni didn't possess recently.

Brett Lee is the best new-ball bowler in the limited-overs cricket and the good news is that he seems hungry after coming back from the injury that prevented him from making an Ashes appearance. He has bowled with fire, has found movement with the white ball, and can be expected to test out the Indian batsmen with bouncers.


Team news


Yuvraj Singh is likely to miss the first ODI due to a finger injury, which means both Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja might play.

India (probable): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Virat Kohli, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ishant Sharma/Amit Mishra, 10 Praveen Kumar, 11 Munaf Patel

Australia don't have Clarke and might use Marsh to stabilise the middle order. Ponting has said the final eleven will be only decided on the morning of the game. Marsh might be able to fill in for Clarke, but Australia will sorely miss the services of Nathan Bracken and his slower cutters which perfectly suits the Indian conditions. However, they do have in Doug Bollinger, who has played in India for Australia A and for New South Wales.

Australia (probable) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Shaun Marsh, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 James Hopes, 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz 10 Brett Lee, 11 Doug Bollinger.



Pitch and conditions


The pitch is expected to be good for batting. But the early start could tempt captains to field first. Dhoni put it thus: "It is an early start at 9am so you will have to see what exactly the conditions are, the amount of dew. This time of the year you get a fair amount of dew on the field. It may not break as much as it did in the last game we played over here and hoping it is a good track."


Stats and trivia





The Reliance Stadium in Vadodara has hosted eight ODIs. India have played seven of those, winning five. Australia have played only once, beating India convincingly by nine wickets with almost 25 overs to spare.



Four of the last five ODIs here have been won by the team batting second.



Sachin Tendulkar has an outstanding record at this ground - in six innings, he has scored three hundreds at an average of 85.60 and a strike rate of 87.70. His scores read 115, 5, 122, 39, 100 not out and 47.



Ricky Ponting has played 49 ODIs against India. Sunday's match will make him only the second Australian, after Steve Waugh, to play 50 one-day internationals against India.



Teams batting first average 41.44 per wicket and 5.55 runs per over, which converts into a 50-over score of 277. The average in the second innings is 39.76 runs per wicket and 5.33 runs per over.





Quotes


"We are not really motivated by rankings. It is nice to be ranked the No. 1 team in the world, but we don't study the rankings so much, and sort of think if win or lose the series, we will be No. 1 or we won't be No. 1. Our focus is to try and win this series against India. Playing in India is one of the toughest challenges for an Australian player. We are just trying to do that without focusing too much on the rankings."
Michael Hussey tries to put things in perspective

"Of course we are hit by injuries but this series is a long series and this gives you an opportunity to come back into the series if you lose the first few games. It is a seven-match series so you have ample time in between because the span of the series is quite long. So it is important to play good cricket throughout because it is not like a five-game or a four-game series where you win the first few games and the tournament is in your hands."
MS Dhoni tries to look at the positives

India v Australia Series

ODI India v Aus Series Winner - Winner
Odds updated at 07:02:24
Pays on Official Result 20:00 Sun 25 Oct 2009
Sportsbet No. Selection (default) Price Amount Total
20001 India 1.90 $
20002 Australia 1.85 $


ODI Ind v Aus Series Mst Wckts 25/10 - Most Wickets Series
Odds updated at 07:02:24
Pays on Official Result 14:40 Sun 25 Oct 2009
Sportsbet No. Selection (default) Price Amount Total
20056 HOPES James 15.00 $
20055 PATEL Munaf 13.00 $
20041 JOHNSON Mitchell 5.00 $
20042 LEE Brett 5.00 $
20043 SHARMA Ishant 8.00 $
20044 NEHRA Ashish 7.00 $
20045 KUMAR Praveen 11.00 $
20046 SINGH Harbhajan 5.50 $
20047 WATSON Shane 13.00 $
20048 HAURITZ Nathan 11.00 $
20049 SIDDLE Peter 11.00 $
20050 HOLLAND Jon 17.00 $
20051 TYAGI Sudeep 17.00 $
20052 HILFENHAUS Ben 21.00 $
20053 BOLLINGER Doug 34.00 $
20054 SINGH Yuvraj 21.00 $


ODI Ind v Aus Series Mst Runs 25/10 - Most Runs Series
Odds updated at 07:02:24
Pays on Official Result 14:40 Sun 25 Oct 2009
Sportsbet No. Selection (default) Price Amount Total
20022 PONTING Ricky 5.00 $
20023 SEHWAG Virender 5.50 $
20024 TENDULKAR Sachin 6.00 $
20025 WATSON Shane 7.00 $
20026 GAMBHIR Gautam 7.00 $
20027 PAINE Tim 9.00 $
20028 SINGH Yuvraj 8.00 $
20029 HUSSEY Michael 11.00 $
20030 WHITE Cameron 17.00 $
20031 DHONI MS 11.00 $
20032 RAINA Suresh 17.00 $
20033 JADEJA Ravindra 21.00 $
20034 MARSH Shaun 17.00 $
20035 HOPES James 26.00 $
20036 KOHLI Virat 21.00 $
20037 VOGES Adam 34.00 $
20038 JOHNSON Mitchell 51.00 $
20039 KUMAR Praveen 101.00 $

Australia survive for tense victory

October 25, 2009

Australia 292 for 8 (Ponting 74, Hussey 73, White 51, Paine 50, Ishant 3-50) beat India 288 for 8 (Gambhir 68, Harbhajan 49) by 4 runs

If the best way to spark interest in a seven-match ODI series is to stage a brilliantly tense opener, then Australia and India achieved their goal in Vadodara. Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey set up what looked like being a comfortable Australian win until a lively, crowd-lifting partnership from Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar threatened to snatch victory for India.

In the end, nine were required from the final over and Peter Siddle held his nerve to confirm a four-run margin in Australia's favour. The key moment came when Harbhajan (49) was bowled from the second ball of the 50th, trying to launch a boundary off Siddle. Six from the last ball was too much for Ashish Nehra to produce.

The feisty 84-run stand from Harbhajan and Praveen was unexpected after India fell to 201 for 7 with ten overs remaining, when they needed more than nine an over. Shane Watson won't want to watch the replay of his final overs; he became predictable with his full tosses outside off and when he sent down the 49th of the innings it cost Australia 20 runs.

Ultimately, Australia got off the hook, largely because India had let themselves down in the field and through the middle overs of their own innings. Although Praveen, with his unbeaten 40 from 32 balls nearly got them home, his ten overs earlier in the day had cost 77 and Australia's batting contributions were even and widespread.

Ricky Ponting thinks a seven-match one-day series is too long; Michael Hussey would play cricket 365 days a year if he could. Both men looked sharp at the start of this tour in setting up the challenging total of 292 for 8. Ponting and Tim Paine built the platform before Cameron White and Hussey drove the total higher, and all four men posted half-centuries.

In reply, only Gautam Gambhir fired up properly out of India's top order. Gambhir had fought his way to 68 from 85 deliveries when he fell to the first ball of the batting Powerplay, which was also the first delivery with the changed ball after 34 overs. Mitchell Johnson found some dip and a hint of swing that trapped Gambhir in front of middle stump and the chase was threatening to derail.

The runs had been well restricted by Brett Lee and Peter Siddle in the middle overs and Gambhir and MS Dhoni were under pressure to make full use of the Powerplay, with the required rate climbing to 7.87. A pair of wickets to Johnson slowed India further.

That Johnson bowled even a single delivery was a positive for Australia after he rolled his ankle early in the fielding effort and appeared to be in significant pain. He left the field briefly and returned to have an impact, although the loss of James Hopes to a leg injury after he sent down two overs will be a concern for the remainder of the series. Australia had the bowling options to cover for Hopes and the part-time spin of Adam Voges accounted for Virat Kohli, who had combined with Gambhir for a 58-run stand until he skied a catch for 30.

Gambhir was comfortable rotating the strike and found the boundary six times, also clearing it once with a strong strike over wide midwicket off Hopes. He was at the crease at No. 3 thanks to the return of Virender Sehwag, who opened with Sachin Tendulkar, although neither of the veterans could make it to the ten-over mark.

But whereas India's two most experienced players failed, Australia's two most capped batsmen stepped up to guide their team. Ponting's 74 was the innings that set the tone but it was Hussey's 73 from 54 deliveries that kept things on track and ensured a healthy total when India threatened to fight back late in the innings.

Australia took their batting Powerplay from the 43rd over and it brought 3 for 33 (India's would later result in 3 for 32) after the powerful White skied a catch for 51 from the second delivery. It was important that Hussey bat until the end and he did survive to the final few balls, accumulating his runs in typically anonymous and understated fashion.

One exception came in the penultimate over when he launched Praveen for a monstrous straight six that left the ground and was so impressive that Hussey was even caught by the TV cameras raising his eyebrows and mouthing "that's big" to his partner. But for the most part, Hussey pierced the field along the ground and ticked the score over with hard, tireless running between the wickets.

He followed the lead of his captain Ponting, who was fierce against the fast men, punching off the back foot and going over the top when the occasion warranted. Few batsmen in the world would have the confidence to hook a fast man after walking down the pitch and being surprised by a bouncer but Ponting did just that, launching Praveen over the boundary for six.

Praveen felt the brunt of Ponting's form and he was also whipped through leg by Paine, whose 50 was important in setting up Australia's effort. Ishant Sharma was more dangerous with a fuller length that allowed the ball to swing and his 3 for 50 was well deserved.

Nehra collected two wickets and bowled reasonably, while Ravindra Jadeja's figures improved when he trapped Ponting plumb lbw. But ultimately India had too few contributors while the Australians all played their part.

The only visitor who didn't contribute was the umpire Mark Benson, who sat out of the match through illness. He missed a classic of the 50-over format.

Big-hitting Dhoni helps level series

October 28, 2009

India 354 for 7 (Dhoni 124, Gambhir 76, Raina 62) beat Australia 255 (Hussey 53, Jadeja 3-35) by 99 runs

First, he consolidated the innings with Gautam Gambhir. Then, in tandem with Suresh Raina, he ripped the bowling to shreds. MS Dhoni's superb 107-ball 124 was the foundation for India's highest-ever total against Australia, a mammoth 354 for 7, and once Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma winkled out Australia's top three for just 45, the match was effectively over. Michael Hussey's 53 provided a lone note of defiance as India romped home by 99 runs, to leave the series all square as the teams packed their bags and headed to Delhi.

The match slipped out of Australia's grasp in the final 11 overs of the Indian innings. When the batting Powerplay was taken with the scoreboard showing 238 for 4, the run-rate had dipped close to six. But with 47 coming from those five overs, and the mayhem continuing unabated afterwards, Ricky Ponting's decision to bowl first in view of the dew factor didn't look too clever. Peter Siddle bowled with impressive pace and accuracy, while Nathan Hauritz was tidy, but the rest were taken to the cleaners on a day when Dhoni appeared to rediscover his big-hitting mojo.

It was no one-man show though, with Gambhir contributing 76 from 80 balls and Raina lashing 62 from just 50 deliveries. When Gambhir departed, run out by a direct hit from Hauritz at mid-off after Dhoni had miscued a slower ball from Siddle, the stage was set for a final onslaught, but few could have predicted how devastating it would be. The first five overs of the Dhoni-Raina partnership produced just 22 runs, but from the moment Dhoni slugged Siddle though cover to end the first over of the Powerplay, the wheels came off for Australia.

Raina kept heaving Mitchell Johnson through midwicket, and with Dhoni slapping one straight down the ground, 18 came from the over. Ben Hilfenhaus's return to the fray was greeted with an astonishing flat six over midwicket and two mighty wallops over long-off from the hapless Shane Watson took Dhoni to his century, his first against Australia, from just 94 balls.

Raina then took over, racing to his half-century from 42 balls in a Hilfenhaus over that went for 18. And though Johnson, who'd gone for 70 in his first nine overs, returned to dismiss both in the final over, the damage had been done, with the partnership worth 136 in just 93 balls.

They had started as explosively, with Virender Sehwag in terrific form. Hilfenhaus took the new ball in Brett Lee's absence, and Sehwag wasted no time, with a lofted cover-drive and powerful cut setting the scoreboard in motion. At the other end, Sachin Tendulkar got off the mark with a neat tuck off the pads for four, but when Siddle got one to dart away a touch after pitching outside off stump, he could only edge to first slip.

Sehwag though carried on undaunted, clipping Hilfenhaus for two leg-side fours, prompting Ponting to bring on Johnson in the seventh over. Siddle was bowling furiously quick, stinging Tim Paine's fingers with a misdirected bouncer, but it was all India as Sehwag clouted a slower ball from Johnson over long-on for six.

The next slower ball had a different outcome. This time, Sehwag could only find mid-off, and with 67 already on the board, Australia delayed the Powerplay by an over and called back Hilfenhaus. Yuvraj Singh, back in the side in place of Virat Kohli, promptly worked him through midwicket for four, and when Paine grassed a tough chance to his left with Gambhir on 20, it seemed as though it wasn't to be Hilfenhaus's day.

But the break for drinks changed that, with Yuvraj slamming the first ball, another slow one, straight back down the pitch. Hilfenhaus took it at shin height. The next ball struck Dhoni on the back of the helmet. By that stage, Ponting had turned to his slow bowlers. Hauritz had been lofted for a straight six by Yuvraj, but both he and Adam Voges were getting sharp turn and for a while, the Indians were reliant on singles and twos to keep the score ticking over.

But a Dhoni straight-drive off Hauritz and two impressive shots from Gambhir through the covers broke the boundary shackles, and with both men running brilliantly between wickets, the bowlers were never allowed to settle. Both took 55 balls for their half-centuries, and it took a moment of carelessness on Gambhir's part to end the partnership which was worth 119 from 113 balls. But with Raina filling the breach so effectively, India never flagged. As for Dhoni, he was simply unstoppable.

Praveen didn't start too well with the new ball, and it seemed that the mistakes of Vadodara were being repeated. But then he got a full delivery to swing and take the inside edge of Paine's bat. The leg stump went cartwheeling and India were on their way. Conscious of the asking rate, Ponting got going with a lovely off-drive off Ashish Nehra, prompting Dhoni to bring Ishant on in the 10th over.

The very first ball he bowled reared up at Watson, and was fended off the face to Tendulkar at slip. As Watson walked off, angry words were exchanged. The potentially decisive blow came from the other end, as Praveen nipped one back to strike Ponting right in front. At 45 for 3, Australia were on the ropes.

Hussey revived the innings somewhat with three consecutive fours through the off side when Harbhajan was introduced, but when Cameron White's stop-start innings ended with a tame clip to midwicket, the asking rate was on its way towards 10 an over. Ravindra Jadeja then bowled Hussey through the gate, bringing the curtain down on the contest long before the last ball was bowled.

October 30, 2009

Brett Lee, the Australian fast bowler, has been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI series in India because of an elbow injury and will fly back home. He is in doubt for the home Test series against West Indies as well.

Lee was unable to complete his quota of overs in the first ODI in Vadodara, having bowled just six, and the elbow problem kept him out of the second match in Nagpur. The injury is the latest setback for Lee who also missed the Ashes in England due to fitness problems.

"Brett's elbow injury has not responded as well to treatment as we would have liked and therefore a decision has been made to send him home to consult with an elbow specialist," Cricket Australia physiotherapist Kevin Sims said. "With an accurate diagnosis we can determine how best to manage the injury and give Brett the best chance of being available for selection at the beginning of the Australian summer."

Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, and coach Tim Nielsen had voiced their unhappiness about scheduling the Champions League so close to the ODI series. Nielsen called Lee's injury a "stress-related" one, and Ponting rued the absence of six of his players while preparing for the seven-ODI series. Lee, however, said that his injury was not because of his participation in New South Wales' campaign in the Champions League.

Australia will also be without allrounder James Hopes, who has a hamstring strain, in the third ODI in Delhi. "Both the guys [Lee and Hopes] are not playing tomorrow. Lee had a light training today and he looks 85% fine but there is still some pain in his elbow," Ponting said. "Hopes got through his bowling today but we have our fingers crossed. We hope he will be okay for Mohali after sitting out tomorrow."


There was some good news for the visitors, though, as wicketkeeper Graham Manou was expected to reach Delhi in time for the game as a replacement for Tim Paine, who broke his finger during the second ODI in Nagpur. "Graham [Manou] will arrive this afternoon. He has some international experience having played a few Test matches and also in Ashes," Ponting said.


While Australia have a replacement opener in Shaun Marsh to fill in for Paine, the absence of Lee is a major blow to a bowling attack that has struggled to contain the Indian batsman, especially during the final overs. In the first ODI in Vadodara, Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar added 84 runs in 9.3 overs for the eighth wicket and, in Nagpur, India plundered 108 off the last ten overs to post 354, the highest total by any team batting first against Australia in an ODI.


Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, who was also in doubt for the Nagpur ODI with an ankle strain, will play despite discomfort to bolster the attack in the remaining ODIs.

MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh lead India to victory

October 31, 2009

India 230 for 4 (Yuvraj 78, Dhoni 71*) beat Australia 229 for 5 (Hussey 81*, Ponting 59, Watson 41) by six wickets

Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni shared a serene 148-run stand to help India win a battle of attrition on a sluggish track at the Feroz Shah Kotla and take a 2-1 lead in the seven-ODI series. Australia would perhaps rue the fact that they settled for 229 when they batted after winning an important toss.


"A total of 220 should be a good score on this pitch," Ponting had said and Australia's approach while batting reflected his mindset. Their bowlers did pick up three quick top-order wickets to leave India wobbling at 53 for 3 but Yuvraj and Dhoni batted with the knowledge that sufficient time spent at the crease would ensure a risk-free victory. The pitch was slow and not conducive to stroke making but it did not spin treacherously, despite the visibly dramatic wear and tear.


The game was evenly balanced mid way during the chase with India in consolidation mode at 101 for 3, but Yuvraj and Dhoni slowly and surely pulled India ahead. They batted with restraint while settling in on this track because, as Michael Hussey proved earlier during an unbeaten 81, batting got easier with more time spent on it.


They scored largely in singles and twos before Yuvraj attacked in the 34th over with 94 needed in 17 overs. He flicked for six and hit an extra-cover drive off Moises Henriques before he repeated the sequence next over with a bludgeoned six over long-on and a square-driven boundary against Adam Voges. The momentum shifted permanently after that and Yuvraj played several exquisite drives. He fell 29 runs short of the target but Dhoni struck a couple of boundaries to ward off any hiccups.


Australia had tried their best to apply the squeeze in the middle overs of the chase with the spin-seam combo of Nathan Hauritz and Doug Bollinger. The fast-improving Hauritz slowed his pace and punctuated his offbreaks with the one that went on with the arm. Dhoni chose to play Hauritz off the back foot while Yuvraj pressed forward. Bollinger, who replaced Ben Hilfenhaus, bowled a nagging line and length to strangle the batsmen. Peter Siddle, too, was economical and Australia's bowling, in the absence of Brett Lee and a quality spinner, was as tight as Ponting could hope for but perhaps they had erred in their conservative estimate of a total on this sluggish track.


Once Australia decided not to play specialist opener Shaun Marsh, and possessing a thin middle-order inexperienced in such conditions, they were going to depend heavily on Ponting, Hussey and Shane Watson to reach a competitive total. Their approach seemed to indicate wariness that a collapse was never too far away on a demanding surface. Ponting, who opened only for the second time in his 327-ODI career in Tim Paine's absence, and Watson didn't try anything fancy during a sedate but solid start before Hussey took charge of seeing Australia through to the finish.


Hussey's innings was tailored to the situation. He played numerous little dabs and nudges, cut and swept whenever he could, and never got ahead of himself at any stage. He did play a reverse sweep against Yuvraj but it wasn't a shot of flamboyance but one that exploited the gap in the field. He only hit three more boundaries - the first was a result of a misfield, the second came in the 48th over when he finally heaved one across the line and the highlight was the last, when he charged out to clatter Ashish Nehra over long-on in the 50th over.


Before Hussey played his characteristic innings, Ponting and Watson played uncharacteristic ones to give the innings a steady start. With swing out of the question, the Indian seamers tried to win lbw decisions by bowling as straight as possible and the spinners slowed their pace and kept to an off and middle stump line. Ponting began cautiously, taking care to get his bat in front of the pads, and dealt in singles. Watson also batted in a similar vein and just when he was beginning to cut loose, he fell to Yuvraj after he was beaten by flight and turn and dragged his back foot out of the crease. Hussey came to Australia's rescue with an assured knock but it wasn't enough to stop India from going ahead in the series.

Impressive Australia draw level

November 2, 2009

Australia 250 (White 62, Ponting 52, Nehra 3-37) beat India (Tendulkar 40, Watson 3-29, Bollinger 3-38) by 24 runs

It was India's game to lose after they restricted Australia to a par total of 250 on a good batting pitch, especially after the fiery start provided by Virender Sehwag. However, Australia won the vital moments during the chase to level the series in Mohali. Like in Vadodara, Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar threatened to pull off a heist; like in Vadodara they failed.


It was a roller-coaster of a chase and whenever India appeared to be getting ahead, Australia fought back with a vengeance. It wasn't necessarily great bowling that did the trick but it was disciplined enough to force mistakes from under-pressure batsmen.


India were off to a cracking start. Sehwag looted 30 runs from 14 deliveries from Mitchell Johnson but no one took ownership of the chase and India slowly lost their way. The first turning point came when Ricky Ponting introduced spin in the 17th over. Nathan Hauritz stuck in his second over, earning an lbw decision against Sachin Tendulkar but the ball appeared to be missing leg stump.

The second blow occurred in the 24th over when Ponting fired a direct hit from cover to run out Yuvraj Singh. MS Dhoni took the score to 134 before he became the fifth wicket to fall, trying to clip a harmless delivery from Doug Bollinger down the leg side. Raina didn't last long, cleaned up by Hauritz when he failed to connect with an attempted dab to third man and finally, Ravindra Jadeja ran himself out, attempting a non-existent single.

There would have been a moment of apprehension for Ponting when Harbhajan and Praveen played cameos but Shane Watson, who leaked runs against the same pair in Vadodara, redeemed himself today. Harbhajan opted for the batting Powerplay after Jadeja's exit and pushed the score to 204 but fell, scooping a return catch to Watson, who later induced Praveen to edge behind. Game over.

How did India lose this one though? Sehwag and Tendulkar had provided them the ideal start and though Tendulkar's dismissal was vital, even then, India held the advantage. Or so it seemed. Dhoni and Yuvraj, the heroes from the last game, were still in, the wicket was still batting-friendly and the bowling wasn't too threatening.

This is where the Australia, battered and bruised with injuries, showed their famed fighting spirit. They needed a moment of inspiration and it came from their captain. Ponting swooped in on a push from Dhoni at short cover and swung around to hit a direct hit at the striker's end to catch Yuvraj short of the crease. It was the spark Australia were looking for and they began to hustle the Indians on the field. The fielding was sharp and the bowling, if not spectacular, was tight.

They still needed a slice of luck to swing things decisively in their favour and they got it when Bollinger returned for his second spell in the 32nd over. It appeared to be a harmless delivery, bouncing down the leg side, but Dhoni nicked the attempted glance to the keeper.

Suddenly, the momentum had shifted and India's lower order was put under severe pressure. An alert Ponting kept making the right moves; with two left-handers Raina and Jadeja in the middle, he brought in the offspinner Hauritz for another spell. Hauritz took out a nervous Raina in the very first over and Ponting made yet another move that almost backfired on him. He gave the ball to Johnson, perhaps hoping that the errant bowler would redeem himself, but Harbhajan and Jadeja slammed a couple of boundaries. However, the pressure got to Jadeja, who was run out by who else but Ponting, and the chase had all but derailed.

The final margin of victory - 24 runs - was all the more surprising because Australia appeared to have lost the advantage after being restricted to a par total. Four Australian batsmen went past 40 but none carried on for a big score and the innings meandered at times, especially in the last ten overs where they scored only 49 runs. Ponting and Watson couldn't build on their promising partnership and the same fate befell Michael Hussey and Cameron White's association.

White played responsibly to keep Australia in the game. He has a reputation for powerful shots, but adapted his approach and scored in singles and twos. The big hits have eluded him so far in the series, reducing him to being merely a useful contributor rather than one who can take the game away from the opposition. His best shot was a well-adjusted short-arm slog sweep against Yuvraj Singh: He leaned forward to seemingly push it away for a single but at the last minute just stretched out to swat it high over midwicket. He went on to unfurl more skilful shots, when he backed away a couple of times against Harbhajan to loft inside-out against the turn, but for the main part, he drove and flicked for singles to rotate the strike.

He found solid support in Hussey and the duo added 73 runs for the fourth wicket with the left-hander playing another typical innings: he was calmness personified, pushing the ball into gaps for singles and collecting an odd boundary with a cover drive or a sweep. Occasionally, he charged out to the spinners to loft them over the in-field and one such stroke off Yuvraj sailed over wide long-on for six. However, he too fell after getting a start, pulling Yuvraj straight to deep midwicket.

Australia's task was made harder by the discipline of all the bowlers except Ishant Sharma. The new-ball bowlers, Praveen and Ashish Nehra, found enough movement to keep the top order quiet and both returned to choke the batsmen in the end overs. The spinners, too, found enough bite to cover up for Ishant's wayward spells. Harbhajan put in his best performance of the series, slowing up the pace and flighting on off and middle stump line. Harbhajan tried with the bat too but it was always going to be a tough for him to pull off the improbable.