Logo

Logo

4th ODI: India at 294/6, need 41 runs in 19 balls

Australia were looking good for a total close to 400 but the Indian bowlers pulled back in the final 15 overs.

4th ODI: India at 294/6, need 41 runs in 19 balls

Indian wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni (Photo: AFP)

Rain interrupted the fourth One Day International (ODI) between India and Australia at Bangalore’s Brabourne Stadium on Thursday. Kedar Jadhav (53*) and Manish Pandey (13*) were at the crease as India reached a score of 251/4 in 41.1 overs chasing Australia by 84 runs.

India lost three wickets in quick succession after team openers — Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma–  gave the team a solid start with their brilliant fifties.

Indian captain Virat Kohli was bowled out by Nathan Coulter-Nile after played a delivery onto his stumps.

Advertisement

Kohli failed to form a partnership with Rohit Sharma, who was run-out by Australian captain Steve Smith.

Earlier, David Warner hit a splendid century in his 100th ODI as Australia put up a commanding total of 334 for 5 against India in the penultimate encounter of the five-match series, here on Thursday.

Warner (124 off 119 balls), who struck his 14th ODI hundred in his milestone match adding 231 for the opening stand with in-form Aaron Finch (94).

Australia were looking good for a total close to 400 but the Indian bowlers pulled back in the final 15 overs in which the visitors could manage only 103 runs.

Umesh Yadav was the pick of the bowlers despite being expensive as he had figures of 4 for 71 in 10 overs to show for his efforts.

Kedar Jadhav (1/38 in 7 overs) also did his bit to put brakes on the scoring after the openers raised visions of a mammoth total.

Warner, who have had a poor series till date, hit 12 boundaries and four sixes while Finch, who hit 10 boundaries and three sixes off 96 balls, missed out on a well-deserved hundred.

Their dismissals in quick succession did put a halt in scoring rate before Peter Handscomb’s 43 off 30 balls and Marcus Stoinis’s cameo (15 no off 9 balls) enabled them to cross the 330-run mark.

Kedar started it all by enticing Warner to go for a lofted shot which went straight to Axar Patel at long on and then next two wickets of skipper Steve Smith (3) and Finch were bagged by Yadav.

Incidentally, Smith’s dismissal was Yadav’s 100th victim in ODIs.

The stage was set for Australia to go after the Indian bowling, being comfortably placed at 248 for three in 40 overs but Travis Head (29 off 38 balls) struggled during the back-10 enabling India at least curtail the Australian total by 20 runs.

Head was holed by Ajinkya Rahane at deep square leg fence off Yadav.

Handscomb was cleaned up by Yadav after he scored 43 balls off 30 balls with three boundaries and one six.

Mathew Wade (3) and Stoinis remained unbeaten.

Earlier, a fluent approach by both Warner and Finch provided Australia a record first wicket partnership of 231 off 201 balls, beating the previous record of 212 scripted by Geoff Marsh and David Boon against India in Jaipur in 1986.

Their partnership was also the highest at Bengaluru, beating the previous best of 183 scored by Brad Haddin and Shane Watson against Canada in a 2011 World Cup match.

(with agency inputs)

 

Advertisement