Aussies humiliate Team India, take 3-1 lead

Paceman Mitchel Johnson wrecked the Indian innings with a devastating five for 26 while Brett Lee chipped in with two for 42 as the strong Indian batting line-up surprisingly caved in without much of a fight on a good batting track.

Only Sachin Tendulkar, playing his 400th ODI, stood bravely amid the ruins with a 73-ball 47 while Zaheer Khan (28) and Irfan Pathan (26) were the other notable contributors.

The Australians hit up the required runs without much fuss with Adam Gilchrist returning to form with an unbeaten 77-ball 79 and captain Ricky Ponting scoring 39 not out to steer the team to a facile win.

The victory has ensured that Australians can no longer lose the series while the Indians have been left with the stiff task of winning the remaining two matches in Nagpur (Oct 14) and Mumbai (Oct 17) to level the series.

Apart from his batting fireworks, Gilchrist made the match memorable for himself by pouching a record-equalling six catches, the fifth time he has performed the feat. Johnson also stole the spotlight with his career-best five wicket haul which earned him the man-of-the-match award.

Except for winning the toss, nothing seemed to go right for the Indians, who never really recovered from the disastrous start, which saw Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid returning to the pavillion from the very first over.

The hosts slid to 43 for five inside the first power play of ten overs, recovered to 92 through a 49-run stand between Tendulkar and Pathan (26) and then reached 148 in only 39.4 overs after the last wicket pair of Zaheer Khan and R P Singh (12) put on 41 runs to pull the team forward from 107 for nine.

It was the 25-year-old Johnson, who played a stellar role in the Australian victory with four of his victims – Yuvraj Singh, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Irfan Pathan and Murali Kartik – being caught by Gilchrist who had an amazing match behind the stumps.

Johnson’s other victim was Robin Uthappa, who fell leg before. Fellow speedster Brett Lee took two wickets, including Rahul Dravid for a first ball duck, while Chinaman bowler Brad Hogg and another left arm pacer Nathan Bracken secured a wicket each to put the Indians on the mat.

The home team had a terrible start with Ganguly being run out off the fourth ball and Dravid in the first over of Lee and the final total they posted was not only totally inadequate but also was the lowest at this venue, below West Indies 181 made against India in January this year.

The visitors were never troubled in the run-chase though India started with the unusual combination of off spinner Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan to open their attack.

The spinner got the ball to turn and bounce. But Zaheer was carted around by Hayden, who batted as imposingly as ever, despite a groin strain suffered while taking two runs. The Aussie opening pair of Hayden and Gilchrist put on 54 runs to put the visitors on the victory path.

After Hayden, who batted with a runner, fell dragging a ball from R P Singh on to his stumps, Gilchrist took over the attacking reins and smashed left arm spinner Murali Kartik, who bowled impressively on his comeback after 20 months in the previous tie, for three sixes in an over.

The Aussie wicketkeeper had mustered only 59 runs in the first four ties but looked a different batsman today. He also added 95 runs for the unbroken second wicket in 13 overs with skipper Ponting to steer the visitors home with plenty to spare.

In the morning, Tendulkar played a lone ranger in his record-equalling tie and made 47 but the other batsmen surrendered tamely much to the disappointment of the capacity crowd of 20,000 who thronged the venue expecting a repeat of the stirring display at Chandigarh, which fetched the hosts an eight-run win.

Tendulkar batted cautiously but was prompt to punish the loose balls as he struck nine fours in 73 balls after a stay of 128 minutes during which he saw a procession of batsmen making their way back.

Tendulkar too departed halfway through the allotted overs in Lees first over of his second spell. The bowler induced the edge by bringing forward the Mumbai batsman with a well-directed outswinger in his first over of a fresh spell.

Johnson then got the wickets of Pathan, who struck a six off Brad Hogg and two fours in his 66-ball knock, and Kartik and left India gasping at 107 for nine in the 30th over.

There was some defiance from the last wicket pair of Zaheer Khan, who struck Bracken and Hogg for a six each on the leg side, and Rudra Pratap Singh before the innings ended, when Zaheer was caught behind driving Bracken.