Australia Crucial win of 6th ODI

All odds seemed against them - four key players were missing before the trip and they lost four more during the series - but Australia showed admirable spirit and skill to clinch the series with a game to spare. On a slightly damp pitch in Guwahati, Mitchell Johnson found his mojo and combined with Doug Bollinger to bundle out India for 170 before Shane Watson gave a solid start to the chase to ensure Australia cantered to a series win.

Bollinger was at the top of his game today on a track conducive to his style and found his mark immediately, nipping out two wickets early and snapping twin dangerous partnerships later en route to 5 for 35. Johnson - back in the side after missing the last game - scythed through the top order to leave India, who chose to bat, tottering at 27 for 5 before Ravindra Jadeja featured in two fighting partnerships. First was a slow repairing job with MS Dhoni, then a violent one with Praveen Kumar to raise hopes of a revival, but Bollinger returned to remove both batsmen to ensure that Australia wouldn't have too many to chase.

Were the conditions so English that the ball was swinging wildly? No. Was the pitch aiding alarming movement? No. There was just a bit of movement, in the air and off the pitch, and Australia exploited it superbly to bundle India out.

Johnson, whose inability to swing the ball into the right-handers had blunted his threat in the recent times, found that inswing today and immediately looked a different bowler. With a slightly round-armish action which helped him to tilt the ball back in, Johnson gnawed away at the batsmen at disconcerting pace.

The start wasn't flattering - his second delivery was whiplashed for six over point by Virender Sehwag - but Johnson bounced back in the same over to start the demolition job. It was a full delivery, Sehwag shaped for his big drive but the ball curved in to thread the gap and splayed the stumps.

Egged on, Johnson went from strength to strength and unfurled his full repertoire: rapid pace, extra bounce, a slinging round-arm, and consistent line and length. He removed Gautam Gambhir with a delivery on middle and off, to which the batsman shaped to work it to the on side as if he expected it to angle in to his pads. But, to his horror, the ball straightened to hit off stump.

Johnson went on to trouble Yuvraj Singh in the corridor before he dismissed Suresh Raina after harassing him with his bounce. The set-up was obvious - bowl a few short balls and push him back before slipping in that fatal full delivery - but Raina fell for it again. Perhaps the ball stopped on him a bit, but he was late in getting forward to a full delivery and ended up flicking it straight to short mid-on.

If Johnson created an opening with his incisive bowling, Bollinger ensured India didn't come back into the game with consistent seam bowling. There is nothing flashy about Bollinger and you know what you will get from him: a steady line and length, changes in pace, and an ability to bowl to his fields. Today it was enough to get him the big wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Dhoni.

He induced Tendulkar into pushing one straight back to him and bowled Yuvraj with a slightly freaky dismissal. The ball ricocheted off Yuvraj's pad over his right shoulder and as Yuvraj, clueless about where the ball went, turned behind to place the bat back inside the crease he pushed it back to the stumps. Then he returned for a second spell and got Dhoni and Harbhajan in one over, before terminating Jadeja's resistance with the first ball of a third spell.

Dhoni, who was fortunate to survive a caught-behind decision against Bollinger when he was 0, was given out lbw to the same bowler to a delivery that was missing off stump. The final margin would have been far bigger as India were wobbling at 75 for 7 but Jadeja and Praveen, who caned Clint McKay for 28 runs with several audacious hits over mid-off and mid-on, played the best knocks of their respective careers to increase the target. Ultimately, however, they could only save India from total embarrassment.

The chase could have been tricky on a pitch that was increasingly aiding turn but Watson stole the show with positive batting. He stretched forward to the spinners, ensured he kept his pads away from the line and played several skillful shots. There were two fours in particular that stood out, both against Jadeja. They were arm-balls, fizzing towards the top of off, and Watson brought his bat down at the last minute to crunch them past first slip.

Harbhajan created a minor scare by removing both Watson and Ricky Ponting in quick succession but in the absence of a big target and with India possessing only one quality spinner, Mike Hussey and Cameron White slowly but surely pushed Australia to a worthy series win.

Scorecard Here

Australia Defeted India by 3 Runs in 5th ODI

Australia defeated India by three runs despite a scintillating 175 by Sachin Tendulkar in the fifth one-day international here on Thurday.

Tendulkar, 36, smashed 19 fours and four sixes for his 45th one-day century before India were bowled out for 347 in 49.4 overs while chasing Australia's imposing 350-4 in 50 overs.

Tendulkar, who became the first batsman ever to surpass 17,000 runs in one-day cricket when he reached seven runs, also shared a 137-run partnership with Suresh Raina (59) to take India close in the day-night encounter.

But his dismissal in the 48th over proved the turning point of the game and handed Australia a 3-2 lead in the seven-match series.

Debutant fast bowler Clint McKay picked three wickets, including that of Tendulkar, while Shane Watson took 3-47 to cap a fine all-round performance, having scored 93 earlier.

Australia were also indebted to Shaun Marsh, who struck a career-best 112 and shared 145 runs for the opening wicket with Watson after the world champions won the toss and elected to bat at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium.

India began their chase in rollicking fashion with openers Virender Sehwag (38) and Tendulkar putting on 66 runs in 53 balls but lost their way in the middle with three quick dismissals.

Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and skipper Dhoni all failed to reach double-figures as they tried to go for the big shots, India slipping to a shaky 162-4 by the 24th over.

Raina kept his cool, reaching his 12th one-day half-century with a six before a Watson double strike tilted the scale back in Australia's favour.

Earlier, Marsh clobbered eight fours and two sixes in his run-a-ball knock for his maiden one-day hundred, reached with a clipped two to deep square leg off paceman Ashish Nehra (1-79).

Watson too thrived in batsmen-friendly conditions, hitting nine fours and three sixes in his 89-ball effort before being caught at deep mid-wicket as he tried to slog sweep off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (1-44).

Cameron White then hit a sparkling 57 off 33 balls to complete a run-feast by the injury-hit Aussies, missing nine of their regular one-day players to various niggles.

India's bowlers were left with little answer to the Aussie onslaught, as reflected in the dismal figures of fast bowlers Nehra and Munaf Patel (0-73). Praveen Kumar picked two wickets but at the cost of 68 runs in nine overs.

The visitors were off to a flying start with Watson and Marsh laying the platform for the huge total with their aggressive stroke-making.

Marsh, dropped on 29 by Dhoni and on 52 by Sehwag, was finally dismissed by Nehra who had him caught by Gambhir at long-on.

The next match will be played in Guwahati on Sunday.

India beat Australia by 99 runs in second ODI Nagpur

Chasing a victory target of 355 runs, Australia were bowled out for 255 in 48.3 overs.  

Ravindra Jadeja (3-35), Praveen Kumar (2-37) and Ishant Sharma (2-34) were the wicket-takers.

The Indian captain scored 124 off 107 balls, his fifth century, while Gautam Gambhir struck 76 off 80 balls. After Gambhir's exit, Suresh Raina played a perfect foil to Dhoni, smashing 62 off 50 balls.   

Dhoni added 119 runs with Gambhir and 136 with Raina.   

Dhoni's half-century came in 55 balls and included three fours, before he plundered the bowling in the death, bludgeoning six fours and three sixes.  

Virender Sehwag laid the foundation with a blistering 40 off 31 balls with the help of six fours and one six. Yuvraj Singh, coming back to international cricket after missing the Champions Trophy, kept the momentum going, scoring 23 off 24 balls.  

It was a compact performance by the Indian batsmen who fumbled while chasing 293 in the first ODI at Vadodara.   

Asked to bat, Indian batsmen made merry on a good batting track that provided initial help to bowlers.  

Sachin Tendulkar (4) was out early, edging one to the slip off Peter Siddle while going for an expansive drive.  

Sehwag looked in ominous touch as he clobbered the new ball in his inimitable style, raising 46 runs with Gambhir, before being dismissed by Mitchell Johnson (3-75).  

Yuvraj was out after striking two fours and a six and India were three down for 97 runs.  

Dhoni and Gambhir then scored at a rapid pace. The duo were quick on their feet and rotated the strike comfortably. Despite not getting the big hits, they managed to maintain the run rate at six runs per over.  

Gambhir hit six fours in his 80-ball knock and looked set for a century but was unfortunate to be run-out.  

Dhoni and Raina then shifted gears. The captain reached his century in style, hitting two consecutive sixes off Shane Watson that also brought the 300 for the team.  

Johnson's last over accounted for the wickets of Dhoni, Raina and Praveen Kumar, conceding  only five runs.

Scorecard of 2nd ODI