Cricket
India win at last Down Under
2012-02-03 14:17
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Mahendra Singh Dhoni (File)
|
Melbourne - India revived their Australian tour
with a convincing eight-wicket win over the home side in the second
Twenty20 international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
The
tourists dazzled in the field with four run outs to restrict Australia
to 131 off 19.4 overs before reaching the target at 135 for two with two
balls to spare before 62,275 fans.
It was the Indians' first
victory on their tour of Australia after losing the opening T20 game by
31 runs in Sydney on Wednesday and receiving a 4-0 thrashing in the Test
series.
Australia were scuttled by a India's brilliant fielding,
the pick of which came from man-of-the-match Ravindra Jadeja who took
two run outs.
It was a shambolic Australian performance with the
bat and in the field as the youthful Indian side finally revealed the
hunger missing for so much of the lopsided Test series.
Gautam
Gambhir topscored with an unbeaten 56 off 60 balls with skipper M.S.
Dhoni not out 21 off 18 balls after promoting himself to number four in
the batting order.
The Indians were always in control of the run
chase, but tensions mounted in the final over as the Australians ringed
the field around Gambhir before he pierced the circle for the winning
runs off Clint McKay with two balls to spare.
India only lost the wickets of Virender Sehwag for 23 off 16 balls and Virat Kohli 31 off 24.
The
impressive victory was just the momentum switch that India needed ahead
of Sunday's opening match in the tri one-day series against Australia
at the MCG.
Opener Aaron Finch, one of three changes from
Australia's win in the opening T20 game, topscored with 36 off 23 balls
and first match topscorer Matthew Wade chipped in with 32 off 29 balls.
But
India had the home side under pressure from the third over when they
had the adventurous David Warner dismissed for eight to a great catch in
the deep by a back-pedalling Gambhir off Praveen Kumar.
Test flop
Shaun Marsh was out for a two-ball duck and Finch was run out by an
outstanding piece of athletic fielding by Jadeja after David Hussey hit
the ball straight to him at backward point and scampered for a single.
Hussey
also played a role in a second run out as Jadeja found skipper George
Bailey (3) well out of his ground at the bowler's end, and was himself
next to go, caught and bowled by Jadeja for 24 off 29 balls.
Smart
glovework by Dhoni had Mitchell Marsh stumped for 13 off spinner Rahul
Sharma and Wade was run out by a direct throw from Rohit Sharma in the
19th over.
The Australians collapsed losing their final three wickets in seven balls.
Clint
McKay was caught by Dhoni off Vinay Kumar for a first-ball duck,
veteran Brad Hogg was leg before wicket to Rahul Sharma for four and
Xavier Doherty was run out by Suresh Raina attempting a suicidal second
run to end Australia's innings with two balls left.
Kumar took two for 21 off three overs and Sharma claimed two for 29 off 3.4 overs.