The contrast was quite visible. Unlike the Champions League T-20 matches that saw sparse fans at the PCA Stadium last month,ODI match between India and Australia witnessed chock-o-block stands. Such is the cricket fans loyalty towards the MS Dhoni-led Indian team that the Mohali stadium was jam-packed. Sadly their excitement turned into heartbreak as the Indian team lost by four wickets. With this win,Australia now leads the series with 2-1. It seemed Diwali came few days early in Mohali when India was cruising through. But an Ishant Sharma over changed the match in Australias favour. The 48th over bowled by medium-pacer Ishant Sharma yielded 30 runs (four sixes and one four). Australias James Faulkner emerged as the star for the visitors as he smashed 29-ball unbeaten knock of 64 runs. He was the one who went after Ishant in the 48th over to put Australia on top. Needing just nine runs in the last over,Australia achieved the set target of 303 runs with 3 balls to spare. Earlier,MS Dhoni played a stunning 131-ball innings of 139 runs to give India a huge total. Batting first,team India was in deep trouble when they were 76 for 4,then 154 for 6,but they had MS Dhoni,and they ended on 303 for 9. Dhoni will be riding high on confidence as India plays their next match in his hometown in Ranchi. For the fans,it was a party. Beer mugs,Tricolor,whistles,Mexican Wave,painted faces,dhol beats were order of the day. In the beginning,stands were hardly full but as the day progressed the stadium was house-full. Virat Kohli was cheered on while he swatted 73-ball knock of 68 runs to give boost to the Indian total. It was heartbreak for many die-hard fans of local hero Yuvraj Singh,who got out in the first ball. Yuvraj Singh walked in on his home ground and walked back first ball. Fans had carried placards with messages for Yuvi. One of them read,I missed school to see Yuvi play. Navtej Singh,a Yuvi fan said,I had missed office today to see Yuvi score runs. Unfortunately he got out on the first ball. I was rooting for him. He played a superb innings in the T20 match at Rajkot few days back. I hope he scores a hundred in the next match. It was not just Yuvraj,who disappointed the fans,but Indias Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkars absence was also greatly felt by the fans. A small aircraft,generally used by big companies for advertisement purposes,hovered over the PCA stadium for quite some time,with a strip attached to its tail,which read,We Will Miss You Tendulkar.
