A splendid performance from the Indian bowling contingent, led by Umesh Yadav's fifer helped India demolish Australia with a 243-run victory in the warm-up match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013.
Chasing 309, Australia had a very similar start to India as recently wed Yadav ran through the top-order.
Yadav’s first victim was Matthew Wade who played a short of good length delivery that was angling in, onto his stumps. A couple of overs later, David Warner went and played a wild swing at a delivery that was moving away from him and edged it straight to Ravichandran Ashwin at first slip.
Yadav’s ‘ball-of-the-match’ squared up George Bailey and went on to dislodge the bails to reduce Australia to nine for three in the sixth over.
The Australian batsmen seemed to struggle with the short of good length delivery throughout as Phil Hughes ended up playing on just after hitting a good boundary to give Yadav his fourth wicket of the game. Yadav completed his fifer off the next delivery when Mitchell Marsh was adjudged caught behind. Replays suggested that the ball went through his bat and pad.
At 28 for five, Shane Watson, the centurion against the West Indies, walked out to the middle. However, he did not have a major impact as he became the third Australian batsmen to get dismissed by playing the ball onto the stumps off the bowling of Ishant Sharma. He departed for four runs as Australia were reeling at 34 for six in the 12th over.
Adam Voges and James Faulkner showed some resistance, but that too failed to last long. In the 18th over, Sharma’s delivery struck Faulkner plumb in front when the latter was trying to shuffle across. This left Australia at 50 for seven.
Sharma struck for the third time when Mitchell Johnson became the fourth Australian batsman to chop the ball onto his stumps in the 20th over. An over later, a direct hit from Shikhar Dhawan at fine leg found Mitchell Starc short of his ground to take India just one wicket away from a massive victory.
Ravichandran Ashwin completed the formalities by cleaning up Adam Voges to skittle out Australia for 65 and register a 243-run victory.
First Inning Report...
Dinesh Karthik (146 not out) slammed his second century in as many matches while MS Dhoni slammed 91 off 77 deliveries to guide India to 308 for six following a top-order collapse against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 warm-up match.
Karthik and Dhoni added 211 runs for sixth wicket after India were floundering at 55 for five in the 17th over. Karthik continued his dream form following his comeback to the Indian side after three years with a 140-ball knock of 146. His innings was laced with 17 boundaries and one six. Dhoni too showed signs of good form as he shifted gears tactfully before being dismissed for 91 off just 77 deliveries in the 47th over. His innings had six fours and four sixes.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Dhoni saw his top-order fall like nine pins as the Australian bowlers wrecked havoc. As early as the third over, Murali Vijay was undone by a poor decision which saw him being adjudged leg before to a delivery from Mitchell Starc. Replays showed that Vijay had clearly inside edged it onto his pads.
Next to go was Virat Kohli, who was looking to glance a delivery down the leg but could not go past wicketkeeper Matthew Wade to give Starc his second wicket of the game.
Rohit Sharma, who came back to the One-Day setup under immense pressure started with two scratchy boundaries, one off his pads and the other between the keeper and first slip. He was looking a bit tentative from the start and was consumed by it. Clint McKay got the ball to angle into Sharma after pitching way outside the off-stump. Sharma let the ball go at the last moment, but unfortunately for him, it got the edge of the blade and ricocheted onto the stumps to send him back for 10.
Suresh Raina, the next man in, lasted for just four deliveries. He became McKay’s second scalp of the day when he walked too far across and missed the ball that went onto hit his stumps. At this stage, India were reeling at 39 for four in 10 overs with Shikhar Dhawan standing helplessly at the non-strikers’ end running out of partners.
He too did not last very long. Just when he and Dinesh Karthik began resurrecting the innings, Mitchell Johnson chipped in with a valuable breakthrough. Dhawan was faced with a short delivery outside the off-stump. He went for the expansive hook but could only manage a leading edge on the ball which landed safely in the hands of McKay at mid-on. With this wicket, half the Indian side was back in the hut with just 55 runs on the board in the 17th over.
The partnership between Karthik and Dhoni lasted for 30 overs and pulled the team out of total wreckage. Dhoni fell in the 47th over but he had done enough damage by them.
Ravindra Jadeja walked out and added 39 unbeaten runs for the seventh wicket with Karthik to take India past the 300-run mark.
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