INDORE: September 24. It’s one of the landmark dates in Indian cricket. Ten years ago, India had won the inaugural T20 World Cup. It turned out to be another spectacular September 24 on Sunday, as India recorded a memorable victory, for a series win against world champions Australia. Icing on the cake was the No 1 ranking on the ODI table.
Chasing 294 to win, the Men in Blue walked home with lots to spare. The win also heralded a new era of domination, as India now lead the Kangaroos 3-0 for the first time in a bilateral series. Electing to bat, the Aussies managed a competitive total, thanks mainly to comeback man Aaron Finch. But the way they lost the plot and settled for a lot less than they looked like getting might force the team management into deep contemplation.
The bat of Rohit Sharma had been silent in the series so far, but when it roared, it sent one of the balls into hiding (six distance 103 metres). Getting a feel of the pitch in the first few overs itself, the Mumbai batsman launched into an assault against the pacers as he brought up his 50 in 42 deliveries. The other opener, Ajinkya Rahane, too scored 70 to stitch a 139-run partnership with Rohit.
But the player of the match was Hardik Pandya. Promoted to No 4, he further proved his credentials as a genuine all-rounder by hitting a quickfire 78 off 72 balls after scalping the wicket of David Warner. Captain Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav had got out in quick successions, but Pandya and Manish Pandey formed a partnership of 78 to put the chase back on track.
The men from the southern hemisphere had got off to a good start on a pitch decent for batting, with southpaw Warner looking to break the shackles he had been forced to wear in the first two matches. He succeeded partially, but was castled by an incoming delivery from Pandya, with the total reading 70/1. Then on, the Finch-Steve Smith pair dominated proceedings. They added 150 and at that stage, their team looked good for much more than 300, a figure that has eluded both sides this series.
Enter Kuldeep Yadav. The chinaman bowler forced Finch to hit the ball to Jadhav at deep mid-wicket to make it 224/2. He struck again to dismiss a well-set Smith. The next dismissal came off the very next ball. Yuzvendra Chahal had Glenn Maxwell jump out at a classic leg-spinner’s delivery. MS Dhoni did the rest. Though the wrist-spin duo leaked runs earlier, they provided important breakthroughs to stifle the Aussie march.
Scoreboard
Australia: Warner b Pandya 42; Finch c Jadhav b Kuldeep 124; Smith c Bumrah b Kuldeep 63; Maxwell st Dhoni b Chahal 5; Head b Bumrah 4; Stoinis n.o 27; Handscomb c Pandey b Bumrah 3; Agar n.o 9. Extras (lb2, w14) 16. Total (6 wkts; 50 ovs) 293. FoW: 1-70, 2-224, 3-243, 4-243, 5-260, 6-275. Bowling: Bhuvneshwar 10-0-52-0 (w4), Bumrah 10-0-52-2 (w5), Chahal 10-0-54-1, Pandya 10-0-58-1 (w2), Kuldeep 10-0-75-2 (w3).
India: Rahane lbw b Cummins 70; Sharma c sub (Cartwright) b Coulter-Nile 71; Kohli c Finch b Agar 28; Pandya c Richardson b Cummins 78; Jadhav c Handscomb b Richardson 2; Pandey n.o 36; Dhoni n.o 3. Extras (lb3, w3) 6. Total (5 wkts; 47.5 ovs) 294. FoW: 1-139, 2-147, 3-203, 4-206, 5-284. Bowling: Cummins 10-0-54-2, Coulter-Nile 10-0-58-1, Richardson 8.5-0-45-1, Stoinis 8-0-61-0, Agar 10-0-71-1, Maxwell 1-0-2-0.
vishal@newindianexpress.com