India prevail in last over finish

MS Dhoni held his nerve in a tight finish as India registered their first win against Australia in the CB series. The four-wicket win was India’s second consecutive victory in the tournament, strengthening their position at the point table. Chasing 270, Gautam Gambhir scored 92, his first innings of substance on the Australian tour, to anchor the visitors’ reply. With regular partnerships all throughout the chase, Dhoni made the final push in the last over to take his side home.

After Gambhir had kept India in the hunt till his dismissal in the 35th over, India needed solid contributions from Dhoni and Suresh Raina to overhaul a stiff chase. Raina played fluently for his 30-ball 38 but Dhoni struggled to get going. His subdued batting, till the last over he hadn’t hit a single boundary in his 33 off 55 balls, gave an impression that the Indian captain wasn’t in the best of form.

With 13 needed off the last over, R Ashwin failed to connect on the first delivery but somehow got a single on the second. Having already got three wickets, Clint McKay was the obvious choice to bowl the last over but Dhoni cared little as he launched a length delivery into orbit. The 112 metre hit was followed by a waist-high full toss that went for two. The winning runs came with two balls remaining, Dhoni once again proving his value as a calm finisher.

However, the platform for Dhoni was laid by good contributions by Sehwag and Rohit Sharma. Sehwag made only 20 but with Gambhir got India off to a steady start, adding 52-runs for the first wicket. With Gambhir holding up one end, Virat Kohli tried to play himself in but played a reckless stroke to be caught in the deep for 18. Rohit Sharma too looked good for his 33 until he threw his wicket away with a mindless stroke. Nevertheless, his 76-run partnership with Gambhir made life easy for the lower order.

Before that, fifties from David Hussey and debutant Peter Forrest helped Australia post a substantial 269 for 8. After Australia lost three wickets with not many on the board, the two resurrected the innings with a free-flowing 98-run stand. Daniel Christian briefly threatened to power the score in the vicinity of 300 but India regained control in the latter stages to limit it to manageable proportions.

Michael Clarke’s decision to bat first on a pleasant afternoon with Ricky Ponting opening didn’t have the desired results as Vinay Kumar had him caught at point for only six. Despite the early setback, the experimentation continued. Clarke promoted himself to number three as Mathew wade was pushed down the order. And, he started off with a flurry of boundaries, even David Warner enjoyed the five superbly timed shots that raced off Clarke’s bat.

However, Warner couldn’t smash too many with his own willow as tardy calling led to both batsmen almost getting to the same end and Warner eventually sacrificed his wicket. Peter Forrest, drafted into the side in place of Michael Hussey, hit his first boundary in international cricket on the bowling of Umesh Yadav, who bowled with lot of pace. Showing no signs of nervousness in his first international, Forrest went about his job calmly; a lofted shot off Ravindra Jadeja that sailed over the long straight boundary earned him many admirers.

Meanwhile, Clarke’s dismissal on a Yadav slower delivery had Australia in a bit of strife at 81 for 3. Forrest was joined by David Hussey at a stage when another wicket would have tilted the scales in India’s favour. With sensible stroke play and running, they not only prevented any more breaches but also made sure that the score chugged along at a good rate. While Forrest gave a good account of himself with an attractive 66, David Hussey made 72 off 76 deliveries.

The two had set the stage for a late charge but India fought their way back through Zaheer Khan, who once again showed his death bowling skills. Daniel Christian tried to light up the fireworks but his untimely run-out on 39 meant Australia finished with a total that was competitive and not a match-winning one.