Australia has taken a 1-0 lead in the seven game ODI series against India by defeating them by four runs in the first ODI at Baroda. In a closely fought encounter, Australia batted first and scored 292/8 in their fifty overs, and then restricted the Indians to 288/8 to take the series lead.
Ricky Ponting won the toss and on a damp, but a brown-looking wicket, decided to bat first. Shane Watson did not last too long, but then Tim Paine – stand-in wicket-keeper for the injured Brad Haddin in this series – and the sublime and in-form Ponting got together and added a near 100. The pitch did not look like it had any demons in it, as both the batsmen got to their respective half centuries, and this was followed by another fifty from Cameron White and Michael Hussey, that propelled the total to 292/8.
Hussey was the star of the batting though, having scored 73 off only 54 balls, while getting the Aussies off the blocks in the middle overs.
In reply, Sachin Tendulkar scratched around, while Virender Sehwag was at his belligerent best but both departed early. Virat Kohli looked good while he lasted (30 off 41), but as has been the case with him, he could not convert his innings into something substantial, and despite a 64-run stand between Gambhir (68) and Dhoni (34), the Indian innings looked all over the place at 201/7 in almost 40 overs. This meant that India needed 92 runs off the last ten overs, and had only Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar at the crease.
In a typical Harbhajan style, he counter-attacked, but rather surprisingly, as did Praveen Kumar. Bhajji hit three sixes while Kumar smashed one, as the pair took the total to as close as possible to Australia’s. More than 50 runs were needed in four overs when the pair cut really loose, even as Brett Lee could not bowl due to an elbow issue. The pair smashed around the bowling to get to within nine runs of the target and with six balls to make them.
A single by Kumar brought Bhajji back on strike, who was then bowled. 8 runs were needed off four, seven off three, and then six off the last ball but with Ashish Nehra on strike and it was only a single that India got to hand the win to Australia.
The second game will be played in Nagpur on Wednesday.
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