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| Incredible Innings By Rohit Sharma |
It was a perfect
Happy Diwali from Team India
as its top order batsmen regaled millions of fans with incredible fireworks today in Bangalore. India posted
the highest total of the Series, 383/6 off 50 overs. The fifth wicket
partnership between Rohit Sharma (209 in 158 balls) and MS Dhoni (62 off 38) yielded
167 runs off just 94 balls amassing 101 in the last five and 151 in the last 10
overs. Rohit Sharma became the third batsmen of the world to score an ODI
double ton after Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. He broke the world
record of the highest number of sixes in an innings beating Shame Watson’s 15
with his 16. He also became the first world batsmen to score the highest number
of runs in an innings against Australia.
However, the million dollar question remained still—was the target of 384 set
against Australia
enough or a safe one?
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| Incredible Innings By James Faulkner |
Well, almost
not! If Rohit broke records for the mammoth total, James Faulkner—the match
winner in Mohali for the last minute blitz—set new records in almost
overhauling the Indian total. He became the second Australian for the fastest
hundred and with McKay set the highest partnership ever of 115 runs for Australia for
the ninth wicket. From 211 for 8 Faulkner brought his team to a possible
victory at 326 for 8 in the 45th over. Then of course it took just
two balls to set up an exciting Indian victory by 57 runs in the 7th
and last one day international match in Bangalore
today. India thus won the
Star Sports 7-match ODI Series beating Australia 3-2.
Australia won
the toss and decided to field as has been the unofficial rule for most part of
the Series thanks basically to the dew factor in the evening making bowling
difficult and the inability for any team to define a ‘safe’ total to put up. Australia batted first after winning the toss in
the first ODI in Rajkot
and won the match. They won the toss again in Jaipur for the second ODI and
naturally elected to bat again. Australia
made 359 runs and yet lost the match and since then fielding has been the first
option after winning the toss for both teams. Australia also did the unimaginable
for today’s all-important final by sending their main strike bowler Mitchell
Johnson home to prepare for the Ashes Series starting later this month. Johnson
has been consistently troubling Indian batsmen, particularly Raina and Yuvraj
this Series and this tactical blunder was definitely going to add to the ‘safe
target’ related woes.
After the sixth
match in Nagpur that India won MS Dhoni launched an
attack on the new ODI Rules saying that the earlier 280-290 targets had now
become 350+ and even after that you were not sure if you had posted enough. With
smaller boundaries introduction of two balls from each end the new Rules has
practically ruled out reverse swing for the pacers and deprived the spinners of
an older ball. Reducing the number of fielders outside the thirty yard circle
from five to four in the non-Powerplay overs the bowlers are made helpless as
even a minor variation in line and length paved the way for fours and sixes. To
entertain the fours-sixes crowds of cricket T20 was introduced and now to
placate them further one day cricket is tempered with too. Well, big money
cricket is always here in India
to stay. Anyway, when you do not know what total is going to be safe it is
always better to know the exact target to chase. In Bangalore the Australian decision was made
easier still because of the possibility of evening rains apart from the dew.
Put in to bat,
the Indian openers—Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawa—started brilliantly racing to
the second consecutive hundred run partnership and the sixth in 19 innings. India
were 107 for no loss after 17 overs when rains interrupted. Immediately after
play began Dhawan fell for 60 (57 balls) to left-arm spinner Doherty giving the
economical bowler the first wicket in this series. Catastrophe happened in the
20th over when the hero of Nagpur Virat Kohli was run out for a duck
due to a huge mix-up with Team India
at 113 for 2. Things became quiet and steadier as Raina tried to give company
to in-form Rohit who notched up his half century too. Very soon he rebuilt the
momentum with effortless sixes all around the park, but Raina (28) and Yuvraj
Singh (12) could not give him company for long. Although bogged down a bit,
Rohit with his captain’s support at the other end completed his 4th
century and after that it was incredible cricket he went on with his
breathtaking shots and breaking records all the way. Absence of Johnson, injury
to Watson after a tight spell and the waywardness of the Aussie seamers were
some of the factors contributing to India’s memorable assault.
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| Injury Scare For Shane Watson |
Australia seemed
to have started the chase in a hurry thus rather helping the Indian bowlers and
wickets fell at regular intervals. Except for a flurry of sixes by Maxwell who
had the brute of an innings of 60 off just 22 balls and by injured Watson (49
off 22) things were looking rather gloomy for them. Maybe Dohery’s two wickets
showed there was something for spinners on this flat pitch as Ashwin (2 for 51
off 10 overs) and Jadeja (3 for 73 off 10 overs) restrained Australia to
some extent. Among the seamers Mohammed Shami was successful taking three wickets.
Run out of the hero of the Nagpur
match and the highest scorer of the Series Aussie captain George Bailey was a
tremendous setback. At 211/8 in the 31st over an Indian victory was
written all over completing a Diwali gift. But then Faulkner (116 off 73) blast
brought the match alive with patient support of McKay (18 in 65 balls). Finally
it was too good to go on and the Faulkner scare for India
ended in the first ball of the 46th over with Australia all
out for 326. Relief and ecstasy almost overwhelmed captain cool Dhoni as
Shikhar Dhawan managed to latch on to the Faulkner catch in the long on
boundary. The Scorecard:
The Bangalore match has been a
real Diwali celebration with fireworks continuing till the end. After Diwali India would take on West
Indies for the all-important two-Test Series when Sachin Tendulkar
is set to complete his 200th Test and bow out of cricket.
