India capitulate after making early running

Aussies storm to 65-run triumph

The flames of revival that had burned so brightly two days ago were conspicuous by their absence on a cold Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

India had carved an imperious eight-wicket win over Australia on Friday in the second T20, filling their supporters with hopes of a turnaround in their wretched fortune on this tour thus far.

But there was none of that heartening fighting spirit as the visitors suffered a 65-run defeat in the opening game of the tri-series.

India’s beginning was nothing less than emphatic – the new-ball bowlers spot-on and the fielders an alert lot.

When the skies opened up to halt the proceedings in the 11th over, Australia, asked to bat first, were 35 for two, and their eventual 216 for five only a distant dream.

But the exuberance of Matthew Wade (67, 69b, 4x4, 2x6) and the firepower of Hussey brothers Mike and David spurred them to a formidable total, and then their bowlers did a neat job to restrict India to 151 all out in 29.4 overs.

Rains of varying intensity that forced the officials to reduce the match to a 32-over-a-side affair gave the Australians, who till then were struggling to tame Praveen Kumar and R Vinay Kumar, the much-needed breathing space. Vinay bowled a screamer of an opening spell to jettison David Warner and Ricky Ponting, and Australia lost skipper Michael Clarke immediately after the rain break, slipping to 49 for three.

However, the Indians lost direction once Wade, who was making his one-day debut, and Mike Hussey (45, 32b, 4x4) stitched together a 73-run stand for the fourth wicket. None of the spinners – there were quite a lot of them on the day – were able to check the free-flowing Australian batsmen. R Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja showcased their full-time and part-time spin, only to leak 154 runs from 17 overs, and that show of profligacy had a massive impact on the end result. It also left a question mark over the wisdom of fielding so many spinners on a surface like the MCG, and also when there were surefire signs of approaching rains much before the start of the match.

Once David Hussey went on a rampage, the Indian bowlers didn’t have Plan B, and many times they just bowled short-pitched balls which the clean-hitting Australian put away with great ease. The younger Hussey guided Australia through useful alliances, first with his sibling (34 for the fifth wicket), and then with another debutant Daniel Christian, 62 for the sixth wicket.

The onslaught seemed to have squeezed the fight out of the Indians, who resembled hitchhikers on a deserted road for most part of their innings. Virender Sehwag was rested to give Rohit a chance, but the opening blues didn’t avoid India. This time, Sachin Tendulkar departed early, driving Mitchell Starc, who had a vastly impressive outing under lights, to Ponting, who took a fine tumbling catch at point.

Gautam Gambhir got out in a familiar way, edging Starc to man of the match Wade behind the stumps, and at 13 for two, India needed a strong partnership to get out of the early mess.

Virat Kohli and Rohit milked 51 runs during their smooth third-wicket alliance that for a short while put the pressure back on the hosts. But the introduction of Clint McKay, who grabbed four wickets to wreck the middle-order, changed the course.

Kohli’s full-blooded drive ended in the hands of Ponting, and Rohit feathered the pacer to stumper Wade as India suddenly found themselves at 65 for four, and the Australian bowlers ruthlessly hunted down the rest of the pack.

SCORE BOARD

AUSTRALIA

Wade b Rahul    67
(69b, 4x4, 2x6)
Warner b Vinay    6
(14b)
Ponting c Raina b Vinay    2
(12b)
Clarke c Rahul b Rohit    10
(21b)
M Hussey c Kohli b Vinay    45
(32b, 4x4)
D Hussey (not out)    61
(30b, 4x4, 3x6)
Christian (not out)    17
(16b)
Extras (LB-2, W-4, NB-2)    8
Total (for 5 wkts, 32 overs)    216

Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Warner), 2-19 (Ponting), 3-49 (Clarke), 4-122 (Wade), 5-154 (M Hussey).
Bowling: Praveen 7-0-35-0 (w-1), Vinay 7-0-21-3, Kohli 1-0-4-0 (w-1), Raina 1-0-4-0, Ashwin 5-0-48-0, Rohit 2-0-17-1, Rahul 6.2-0-44-1 (w-1), Jadeja 2.4-0-41-0 (w-1, nb-2).
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 15/0; 10: 25/2; 20: 100/3; 30: 187/5; end of innings: 216/5 in 32 overs.

Runs during Power Play 1: 1-10 overs: 25/2; Power Play 2: 26.1-29 overs: 22/1.

INDIA

Gambhir c Wade b Starc    5
(8b)
Tendulkar c Ponting b Starc    2
(6b)
Kohli c Ponting b McKay    31
(34b, 3x4)
Rohit c Wade b McKay    21
(21b, 2x4)
Raina c D Hussey b Christian    4
(9b)
Dhoni c Warner b Doherty    29
(38b, 1x4)
Jadeja c M Hussey b McKay    19
(25b)
Ashwin (run out)    5
(3b)
Rahul b Doherty    1
(2b)
Praveen c Harris b McKay    15
(17b, 2x4)
Vinay (not out)    12
(15b, 1x4)
Extras (LB-2, W-5)    7
Total (all out, 29.4 overs)    151

Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Tendulkar), 2-13 (Gambhir), 3-64 (Kohli), 4-65 (Rohit), 5-77 (Raina), 6-114 (Jadeja), 7-120 (Ashwin), 8-123 (Rahul), 9-128 (Dhoni).

Bowling: Harris 5-0-28-0 (w-2), Starc 6-0-33-2 (w-2), Christian 5-0-21-1, McKay 4.4-0-20-4, Doherty 7-0-36-2 (w-1), Clarke 2-0-11-0.

Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 18/2; 10: 54/2; 20: 105/5; end of innings: 151 all out in 29.4 overs.
Runs during Power Play 1: 1-7 overs: 32/2; Power Play 2: 7.1-10 overs: 22/0.