India and Australia resume rivalry: Aus Tour of India 2009

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...ries-begins-on-Sunday/articleshow/5156510.cms

India and Australia resume rivalry as series begins Sunday

PTI 24 October 2009, 01:18pm IST




VADODARA: Strong rivals India and Australia will resume their cricketing rivalry as they go into the first One-dayer on Sunday with the India and Australia resume rivalry injury-hit hosts fully aware that a series triumph in the seven-match rubber would catapult them to the number one spot.

The Indians will also be keen to make amends for their Champions Trophy debacle as they take on the world champions in what promises to be a thrilling contest of nerve and skills.

Though flamboyant Virender Sehwag has returned to bolster the Indian top-order, Yuvraj Singh is unlikely to take the field for the series-opener at the Reliance Stadium.

Australia are in super form having clinched the Champions Trophy title, which followed an impressive 6-1 thrashing of England while the Indians have not quite lived upto expectations in recent times.

The hosts were knocked out of the Champions Trophy at the league stage where they could manage just one win.

India have done well in the last couple of years and would take inspiration from the fact that they had beaten Australia in their own den when they clashed last in a One-day series.

But India have a less-than-impressive One-day record in bilateral series against Australia at home, having won seven and lost 12 of their 23 encounters over the years.

It will, therefore, be a sort of revenge series for both teams as before India's victory in Australia, the visitors had outclassed the hosts 4-2 in their last best-of-seven contest in this country two years ago.

Sachin Tendulkar's form is crucial to India's fortune. He was instrumental with an unbeaten ton and a score of 91 during India's historic triumph in the VB Series Down Under.

With a line up of Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina and Dhoni, the home team's batting is their strength.

Ponting has already sounded wary about the strength of India's batting line-up led by Tendulkar and the fit-again Virender Sehwag at the top by calling it "formidable".

Bowling is a big concern for India after a lacklustre performance in the Twenty20 World Cup as well as the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Ishant Sharma, who has struggled to recapture the sort of rhythm and speed with which he rattled even a great batsman like Ponting on India's last visit to Australia, is under pressure.

The bowling attack has been re-arranged with the inclusion of Munaf Patel for R P Singh to support the in-form Ashish Nehra and Ishant. Praveen Kumar and Sudeep Tyagi are the other two pacers in the running.

The spin department, which would hold the key in the middle overs, is spearheaded by off-spinner Harbhajan Singh who needs to come up with a better performance than his haul of three wickets in seven matches in the previous series between these two teams to make an impact.

Leg spinner Amit Mishra is the back-up for Harbhajan if included in the playing eleven.

The poor bowling performance in two ICC events has led to the sacking of bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and it would be interesting to see how the team copes up with the change in their support staff.

In form skipper Ponting and vice captain Michael Hussey hold the key to the Australian batting , not to forget all-rounder Shane Watson who has come to India on the back of successive hundreds in the semi-final and final of the Champions Trophy.

Ponting is aware of the threats posed by the Indian slow bowlers especially in sub continent conditions but is confident that his batsmen would be up for the challenge.

Australia would bank upon their strong pace attack, and especially on Brett Lee who powered New South Wales to the maiden Champions T20 League title last night.

Lee and left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson pack a lot of punch in their attack and were in the forefront when India were routed for 148 in the previous encounter between the two teams at this venue two years ago.

With the impressive Peter Siddle, the Victorian who also has got used to the Indian conditions by playing in the CLT20, and swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus present as the other options, Australia carry a huge pace armoury.

Spin looks to be their weak spot with neither off spinner Nathan Hauritz nor rookie left-arm slow bowler Jon Holland expected to give the Indian batsmen cause for major worries.

But in the department of fielding the visitors hold a clear-cut edge over the hosts. Fielding coach Robin Singh has also been given the boot by the BCCI and this area may become decisive in the outcome of the high-octane contest.


Teams (from):

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Hussey (vice captain), Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz, Jon Holland, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges, Shane Watson and Cameron White.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Sudeep Tyagi, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.

Umpires: Mark Benson and Shavik Tarapore.

Third umpire: Amish Saheba

Match Referee: Chris Broad

Hours of play: 9 am to 12.30 pm; 1.10 pm to close.
 

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http://www.ptinews.com/news/346305_Australia-win-toss--elect-to-bat-in-first-match-against-India

Australia win toss, elect to bat in first match against India

STAFF WRITER 8:43 HRS IST

Vadodara, Oct 25 (PTI) Australia captain Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat in their first match of the seven-match ODI series against India here today.

India left out Yuvraj Singh, who is recovering from an injury, besides Munaf Patel, Amit Mishra and Sudeep Tyagi.

The Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja.

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Hussey, Nathan Hauritz, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Cameron White.
 

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Australia pip India to go 1-0 up in series- Hindustan Times

Australia pip India to go 1-0 up in series

Hindustan Times
Vadodara, October 25, 2009

First Published: 09:19 IST(25/10/2009)
Last Updated: 18:09 IST(25/10/2009)

India lost the first match of the seven-match ODI series against Australia by just four runs. The hosts, who were up against a daunting 293-run target, made a match of it and fell short by just a wafer-thin margin.

At one point of time, Gautam Gambhir and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni were looking good, helping their team towards the 293-run target. However, the hosts lost the services of the Delhi batsman, Suresh Raina, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja quite quickly and that dented India's chances severely.

At one point, they needed 63 runs from five overs and the game was as good as lost. But a late-order burst from Harbhajan Singh (49 runs off 31 balls) and Praveen Kumar (40 not out) pushed India within striking range of Australia's total.

Gambhir had reached an important half-century and fell for 68 runs (off 85 deliveries, 6x4, 1x6). He and Dhoni had put on 64 runs for the fourth wicket. Gambhir was out leg before to Mitchell Johnson while Raina too was snared by Johnson, catching him off his own bowling.

Dhoni was caught at mid on by Lee off Shane Watson while Jadeja fell to Hauritz for just 5. Before the Gambhir-Dhoni show, a 58-run partnership between Gambhir and Virat Kohli had put India back on track following couple of early wickets. Kohli, who was doing a good job, went for a lofted shot but mistimed it and was caught in the deep by Shane Watson for 30. The two batsmen had mixed caution with aggression well, after Australian pacers rocked the top order early.

Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar both fell early. Brett Lee got Sehwag to edge one behind to the wicketkeeper, while Tendulkar drove Shane Watson straight to Ricky Ponting at short cover.Sehwag was looking good in his brief stay and had raced to 13 off 11 balls. Tendulkar was more cautious in his approach. He made 14 off 29 balls. Australia, meanwhile, riding on half-centuries by Ponting, Michael Hussey, Tim Paine and Cameron White reached 292 for 8 in their 50 overs. Ishant Sharma picked 3 for 50 in his 10 overs, while Ashish Nehra got 2 for 58. Praveen Kumar went for 77 runs in his quota of 10 overs.
 

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Dhoni should bat up the order: Gilchrist - Top Stories - Australia in India, 2009 - Series & Tournaments - Cricket - Sports - The Times of India

Dhoni should bat up the order: Gilchrist
Times Now 27 October 2009, 01:48pm IST

NEW DELHI: Former Australian skipper Adam Gilchrist has backed Sourav Ganguly's suggestion that Indian captain MS Dhoni should bat up the order and give himself more overs to play. While addressing the media, Gilly reiterated the fact that MSD is a good finisher and that he should bat at no.3 to giver him a chance to play his natural game.

Gilchrist said, "Dhoni is such a dangerous batsman. I would love to see him bat up the order, particularly in the shorter version of the game. You want your best players to face the maximum deliveries. But Dhoni has a lot on his plate at the moment, which is understandable. However, I would encourage him to play his natural game and trust his instincts."

When asked about the blow for the Aussies with the like of Lee, Hopes and Johnson being injured, Gilchrist said that any kind of injury is a blow to the team. He said that the feeling would be similar to how India felt when Yuvraj Singh was left out due to an injury.

Gilchrist's statement on Dhoni comes just a day after the former Indian captain Ganguly, while speaking exclusively to Times Now said that Dhoni needs to bat up the order because it is not possible for any batsman to come down the order and just have a go. He added, "Dhoni should bat at no.3 so that he gets time to set his eye in. His value in the team is much more and he should come to bat when there are atleast 30-35 overs left in the game."
 

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The Press Association: Dhoni leads India to victory

Dhoni leads India to victory

(UKPA) – 1 hour ago

A sparkling century from Mahendra Singh Dhoni helped India defeat Australia by 99 runs in the second one-day international in Nagpur to level the seven-match series 1-1.

Dhoni cracked 124 off 107 deliveries and Gautam Gambhir made 76, the two adding 119 at better than a run a ball for the fourth wicket, while Suresh Raina bludgeoned 62 off 50 to help the home side to 354 for seven - their highest ever one-day total against Australia.

Praveen Kumar then claimed two early breakthroughs and, while Michael Hussey offered stiff resistance with a knock of 53, India's spinners took wickets at regular intervals to bowl the tourists out for 255 in 48.3 overs.

Slow left-armer Ravindra Jadeja finished the pick of the bowlers three for 35 from 6.3 overs.
 

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http://www.ptinews.com/news/352328_Special-century-at-number-five--says-Dhoni

Special century at number five, says Dhoni

STAFF WRITER 22:51 HRS IST

Nagpur, Oct 28 (PTI) Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today described his match-winning 124 as a "special century batting at number five" after his side crushed Australia by 99 runs in the second one-dayer to level the seven-match series 1-1 here.

A debate has been raging in the Indian cricket fraternity whether Dhoni should promote himself up instead of batting at middle order but the captain was happy with his century today.

"It was a special century batting at number five. When you bat down the order you don't get much chance to score big.

If you play some big shots you can be out at 50 or 60 odd runs," Dhoni said after the match.

Asked whether today's century was the best out of the five tons in his 147 matches, Dhoni said, "It was a tough choice.
 

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http://www.ptinews.com/news/356405_India-restrict-Australia-to-229-for-5-in-3rd-ODI

India restrict Australia to 229 for 5 in 3rd ODI

STAFF WRITER 18:6 HRS IST

New Delhi, Oct 31 (PTI) India contained Australia to 229 for five in the third cricket one-dayer despite Michael Hussey's rollicking unbeaten 81 and Ricky Ponting's fighting half century on a tricky pitch here today.

Electing to bat after winning the toss, The Aussies found the runs difficult to come by on a slow Feroze Shah Kotla track.

Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting (59) relied on their experience to score the bulk of the runs for the visitors, who have now left India to score at an asking rate of 4.40 runs per over to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

While Shane Watson (41) also chipped in with a useful contribution, none of the other Australian batsmen could hang around for long on a pitch which was not conducive for strokeplay.
 

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The Press Association: Hussey boosts Australia total

Hussey boosts Australia total

(UKPA) – 49 minutes ago

Half-centuries from Michael Hussey and captain Ricky Ponting propelled a depleted Australia to a decent total in the third one-day international against India in Delhi.

Ponting, who opened the innings alongside Shane Watson (41), gave the visitors a steady start with a knock of 59, while Michael Hussey anchored the middle order with a businesslike 81 off 82 deliveries as Australia finished on 229 for five.

Spinner Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the Indian attack, finishing with figures of two for 41 from nine overs.
 

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The Press Association: Tendulkar closes in on another milestone

Tendulkar closes in on another milestone

(UKPA) – 23 hours ago

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be first in the queue to congratulate Sachin Tendulkar if he reaches yet another milestone in Saturday's third one-day international against Australia.

The 'Little Master' is 79 runs away from reaching 17,000 runs in ODIs, already more than 3,000 ahead of nearest challenger Sanath Jayasuriya.

"It would be a milestone indeed," said Dhoni. "He is such a great batsman. Whenever he walks out we all expect big scores. He not only scores himself but also guides his partner."

Tendulkar has yet to catch fire in the current series, having scored just 18 runs in two games so far.

Another player struggling for form is off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

"He (Harbhajan) is not at his best," admitted Dhoni. "But considering the kind of player he is, for someone who loves challenges, I think he is just one game away from bouncing back.

"We are not worried about players who have so much international experience."

India are expected to stick with the same side which beat Australia by 99 runs in the second ODI to square the series at 1-1.
 

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With the series now at 2-1 in India's favour the Aussies sure will be missing the fire power of Brett Lee.

And Pintu congrats on reaching 7000 posts.:icon_salut:
 

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India beat Australia by 6 wickets, lead series 2-1

NEW DELHI: Yuvraj Singh and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni produced scintillating knocks on a tricky track as India recovered from early jolts to spank Australia by six wickets in the third cricket One-day and take a 2-1 lead in the seven-match series on Saturday.


After Australia posted a competitive 229 for five largely built around Michael Hussey's unbeaten 81, Yuvraj (78) and Dhoni (71 not out) played their innings brilliantly to guide the team home with 10 balls to spare in a relatively low-scoring contest.

Both the batsmen started cautiously on a difficult Feroze Shah Kotla strip before unleashing a barrage of strokes in a record fourth wicket partnership, which took the game away from the hapless visitors.

The capacity crowd at the Kotla burst into celebrations as Suresh Raina hit Mitchell Johnson to the boundary to bring about the winning runs, leaving the world champions in a daze.

Yuvraj and Dhoni stitched a record 148-run partnership against Australia in India, eclipsing the previous best of 119 between Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir in the last game in Nagpur.

The dashing left hander perished after putting India within sniffing distance of victory, but Dhoni ensured that there were no further hiccups.

Both the teams will now travel to Mohali for the fourth game to be played on Monday.

Indian openers milked 12 runs off the first over with Sachin Tendulkar hitting Mitchell Johnson for two boundaries - one past cover and the other clipped to the square leg boundary.

Playing in front of his home crowd, Virender Sehwag (11), however, looked strangely subdued. Even when he middled the ball, he did not find gaps and to make it worse, the hard-hitting opener was hit on his foot by a Peter Siddle yorker in the eighth over which had him in pains, needing the physio's attention.

When play resumed, Sehwag slashed Johnson for his only four but three balls later, he had his middle stump uprooted by a Johnson express that simply crashed through his defence.

Hit on his neck while fielding that prompted him to leave field, Gambhir walked out to hearty applause but he too found boundaries were not easy to come by as the Australians maintained stiffling line and length and did not hesitate to throw themselves around to cut short boundaries.

It took India 13.2 overs to reach 50 and a batting collapse was just round the corner with Johnson again in the thick of things as it was a rude shock for the hosts who slumped from the comfort of 37 for no loss to 53 for three inside 16 overs.

Tendulkar, who was content running hard between wicket in absence of easy boundaries, could not beat Johnson's direct throw from mid-off and perished in his quest for a risky single.

It was a sad end to his 47-ball knock of 32 and Tendulkar didn't even wait for the third umpire's verdict before starting the long walk back.

Two runs later, Nathan Hauritz's second delivery turned sharply to beat Gambhir's (6) defence and clipped off-stump to silence the entire stadium.

The team in dire strait, captain Dhoni joined Yuvraj in the middle with a herculean task ahead of them and both showed willingness to toil for every run as boundaries dried up.

Both Yuvraj and Dhoni played cautiously as they went about the job of rebuilding the innings and were quite content to keep the scoreboard moving with gentle pushes and nudges.

Yuvraj picked up young Moises Henriques for special treatment by clobbering him for a six and a delectable boundary in the same over. In the very next over, he spanked Adam Voges for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries to notch up his 42nd ODI half century.

Earlier, electing to bat, Australia were well served by Hussey who gauged the conditions well to crack an unbeaten 81 while Ponting produced a fighting 59 to steer the visitors to a competitive 229 for five.

While Shane Watson (41) also chipped in with an useful contribution, none of the other batsmen could hang around for long on a pitch which was not conducive for strokeplay.

Ponting, opening the innings for only the second time in his career, and Shane Watson provided a solid start to the innings with both the batsmen playing cautiously on the slow track.

Watson, however, began on an aggressive note by square cutting paceman Praveen Kumar to the point boundary in the last ball of the opening over of the day.

Both Ponting and Watson curbed their natural strokeplay and took their time to adjust to the low bounce of the pitch which had produced a number of low-scoring matches during the recent Champions League.

The two Aussie openers were showing signs of accelerating the pace of scoring when part-timer Yuvraj provided the breakthrough to the home team.

Watson was smartly stumped by Dhoni as he stretched forward to counter the spin which brought an end to the 72-run opening partnership. His knock of 41 was studded with five boundaries.

The experienced Hussey then joined his captain in the middle and the two seasoned players went about consolidating the position for the team with a risk-free approach.

Ponting, who looked quite comfortable at the middle, soon notched up his 72nd ODI half-century but could not survive long after that as he fell prey to Jadeja.

Ponting was trapped in front of the wicket by a Jadeja delivery which kept a trifle low and umpire Sanjay Hazare had no hesitation in ruling him out.

The hosts struck in the very next over when another part-timer Raina evicted Cameron White with Dhoni taking the catch after fumbling for a long time. White was, however, distinctly unlucky as the television replays showed that the ball had hit his pads before going to Dhoni.

From a comfortable 128 for one, the visitors suddenly slumped to 129 for three, bringing some life back into the game.

Voges joined the action after white's brief stay at the wicket and took the score to 172 before becoming Harbhajan Singh's first victim with Praveen latching on to a brilliant catch.

However, some lusty hittings by Hussey in the fag end of the innings took the visitors to a decent total.

India beat Australia by 6 wickets, lead series 2-1 - Top Stories - Australia in India, 2009 - Series & Tournaments - Cricket - Sports - The Times of India
 

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We played smart cricket, says Yuvraj

New Delhi, Nov 1 (IANS) Yuvraj Singh, whose 148-run stand with Mahendra Singh Dhoni guided India to a six-wicket victory in the third ODI against Australia, said that they played “smart cricket” on a slow wicket to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Yuvraj (78) and Dhoni (71 not out) curbed their attacking instinct to forge a match-winning fourth wicket partnership as India reached the target of 230 runs with 10 balls remaining.

Yuvraj, who was the Man of the Match, said that the Kotla track was the slowest he had ever played on and the nature of the pitch made it difficult to chase even a low total.

He though said that it was a satisfying innings that will prove his critics wrong.

“I have always been criticised for not playing well on slow tracks. I think I proved a point today. It was intelligent and smart cricket from us. The wicket was low and slow and we though that we will spend some time in the middle and not take any risk,” said Yuvraj.

The left-handed batsman admitted that it would have been tough for India had the target been 250.

“Thankfully we had only 230 to chase, otherwise it would have been difficult had the score been 250,” he said.

Yuvraj also said that batting with his close friend Dhoni eased the pressure.

“I always enjoy playing with him. Both me and Mahi were looking to post a 50-run partnership but it got bigger and better. We cut down on the big shots and capitalised on the loose balls and concentrated on singles. Dhoni is a kind of batsmen from whom we can learn how to bat in ODIs. He is very dynamic batsman and he can always make up in the end,” he said.

Yuvraj also said that Harbhajan Singh’s figures of 37 for one from his 10 overs was a good sign for the team.

“It’s just that he is not getting wickets but today he bowled well. It is a good sign for the team,” he said.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting said that his team was 10-20 runs short. Ponting also said that the track was one of the slowest he had ever played.

“But the track was same for both the teams. I can’t complain. We have to blame ourselves for the loss but batting first was the right decision on this track,” he said

We played smart cricket, says Yuvraj
 

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The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Sports | Capital gain for Team India

Capital gain for Team India
- Yuvraj, Dhoni ensure Six-wicket victory to give hosts 2-1 lead


JAYDEEP BASU



Man of the Match Yuvraj Singh and
captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni at
the Kotla on Saturday.


New Delhi: A magnificent 148-run fourth wicket stand between Man of the Match Yuvraj Singh (78 off 96 balls) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (71 not out off 95 balls) made all the difference as India coasted to a six-wicket win over Australia in the third one-day International on Saturday.

For the sell-out crowd at the Kotla, the real enjoyment came late in the evening in the capital’s first-ever day and night match when Yuvraj and Dhoni brought India back from a seemingly hopeless position. The victory gave them a 2-1 lead in the seven-match series.

Chasing an Australian total of 229 for five on a low and slow track, the Indians looked in deep trouble after they were reduced to 53 for three in 15.2 overs. Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Gautam Gambhir were back in the pavilion, and it looked like India were losing their way.

Just when a few spectators started leaving the stadium, Yuvraj and Dhoni got down to the job of rebuilding the innings. Both avoided risks and cut down on their usual aggressive style. They went about their task much like Mike Hussey and Ricky Ponting during the Australian innings. No doubt the duo were successful in their endeavour.

Once the target became less than 100 runs, Yuvraj changed tactics to launch an onslaught from the 34th over. He hit a sensational six off Moises Henriques and then slammed Adam Voges for a six and a four in the next over.

Thereafter, there was no stopping India, especially Yuvraj, who was finally trapped leg before by Henriques when India were 29 runs away from the target. In all, Yuvraj’s knock contained eight boundaries and two sixes.

Dhoni, on the other hand, was happy to play second fiddle and allowed his left-handed partner to dominate. The Indian captain, however, did the most crucial job of staying around till the target was reached with 10 balls to spare. He hit six boundaries.

India made a good start, as Sachin smacked two boundaries in Mitchell Johnson’s first over, which produced 12 runs. But the scoring rate dipped soon as Sehwag (11) didn’t look to be in his elements. He was strangely subdued and could not find the gaps through the fielders.

The Delhi opener was struck on his feet by a Peter Siddle delivery in the eighth over and had to be treated on the field. He didn’t stay long as he found his middle stump uprooted by Johnson in the next over.

To make matters worse, Johnson delivered yet another blow, this time as a fielder. Standing at mid off, the Aussie all-rounder made a direct throw in the 14th over that had Sachin run out for 32.

Sachin was followed by Gambhir, who seemed to have a bad day on the field. While fielding at forward short leg, he was hit on the neck by a Ponting pull and had to return to the dressing room to receive treatment. With the bat, he could manage only six before being bowled by Nathan Hauritz.

In the Australian innings, Hussey came up with a gritty knock of unbeaten 81. If Hussey played a crucial role in the death overs to step up the run rate, Ponting was the man who batted with patience and skill to build the innings.

Coming in as an opener for the second time in his one-day career, the Aussie captain led from the front in the true sense as he didn’t try anything fancy during his innings of 59 in 92 deliveries with the help of five boundaries.

A picture of determination, Ponting along with Shane Watson (41) put on 72 runs for the first wicket in 16.2 overs.
 

Yusuf

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A great run chase in very testing conditions. All credit to Dhoni and Yuvi. They planned the chase well with some good rotation of strike and keeping the asking rate below 5 and then when it was required, yuvi went beserk after getting his eye in. Dhoni for all the criticism he receives for his changed batting style has played yet another captains innings and got the team home. This was the 22nd occasion where he guided the team to victory remaining not out. Only sachin and azhar are ahead of him.
All in all good team performance with the bowlers restricting the Aussies to well below 250.

Congrats team India.
 

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AFP: Bollinger, Watson guide Australia to win

Bollinger, Watson guide Australia to win

By Abhaya Srivastava (AFP) – 4 hours ago

MOHALI, India — Doug Bollinger and Shane Watson shared six wickets as Australia beat India by 24 runs in the fourth one-day international here on Monday to square the seven-match series 2-2.

Left-arm paceman Bollinger took 3-38 while Watson picked 3-29 to bowl out India for 226 in 46.4 overs after Cameron White top-scored with 62 in Australia's total of 250 all out in 49.2 overs.

The Indians failed to exploit helpful batting conditions in the day-night encounter at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium, with none of their batsmen scoring even a half-century.

Sachin Tendulkar (40) and Virender Sehwag (30) got good starts while Harbhajan Singh (31) slammed five fours and a six in a late assault but the Australians held their nerve in the end to carve an impressive win.

The world champions, sent in to bat on a placid track, were also indebted to captain Ricky Ponting who struck his third half-century of the series and shared a 64-run stand for the second wicket with Watson (49).

India began their chase in rollicking fashion with Sehwag smacking seven fours off left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson, who turned 28 Monday.

Sehwag's belligerence was snapped when he turned the face of the bat and ended up splicing Bollinger to Watson at mid-off.

Tendulkar fell seven runs short of completing an unprecedented 17,000 runs in one-dayers when he was adjudged leg before off off-spinner Nathan Hauritz. TV replays however suggested the ball would have missed leg-stump.

Yuvraj Singh (12) was out to a direct throw from Ponting at short cover while captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) was caught behind off Bollinger. Earlier, a disciplined effort in the field by the generally sluggish Indians resulted in four run-outs and contained Australia to what looked like a below-par total.

Left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra picked 3-37 and also ran out White while Harbhajan was back among the wickets after an indifferent show in the previous games, picking 2-48 off his 10 overs.

Ponting hit five fours and a six in his 59-ball knock for his 73rd half-century in one-day internationals while Michael Hussey chipped in with a fine 40 off 41 balls.

Watson, named man of the match, and Ponting helped Australia regroup after the cheap dismissal of opener Shaun Marsh, trapped leg-before by Nehra for five.

Watson was unlucky to miss out on his 10th half-century, being caught behind off Harbhajan for a 52-ball 49 containing six fours.

The next match will be played in Hyderabad on Thursday.
 

RAM

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Australia tour of India, 5th ODI: India v Australia at Hyderabad (Decc), Nov 5, 2009-update..

Australia 350/4 (50 ov)

India 163/4 (23.4 ov)

India require another 188 runs with 6 wickets and 26.2 overs remaining


End of over 24 (3 runs) India 164/4 (187 runs required from 26 overs, RR: 6.83, RRR: 7.19) SK Raina 1* (3b) CJ McKay 5-0-30-2
SR Tendulkar 95* (75b 10x4 3x6) DE Bollinger 5-0-42-0

sachin batting 95...

India 165/4 (24.2 ov, SR Tendulkar 95*, SK Raina 2*, SR Watson 1/26) | Live Scorecard | Cricinfo.com
 

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