Australian Victory Squares ODI Series With India

Australian Victory Squares ODI Series With India

Sachin Tendulkar (front) leaves after his dismissal while the Australians celebrate in the background.

©REUTERS/Adnan Abidi (INDIA SPORT CRICKET) Picture Supplied by Action Images

Australia 250 (White 62, Ponting 52, Nehra 3-37) beat
India 226 (Tendulkar 40, Watson 3-29, Bollinger 3-38) by 24 runs
Scorecard
Fourth One-Day International, Mohali

Australia levelled their One-Day International series with India at 2-2 by winning the fourth match in Mohali by 24 runs.

Both sides made a change apiece before Australia won the toss and chose to bat first and were then bowled out in the final over for 250, Cameron White and Ricky Ponting making half-centuries as Ashish Nehra picked up three wickets.

India made a strong start before Australia bowled themselves back into the contest, Shane Watson and Doug Bollinger matching Nehra's feat of three wickets as India were bowled out for 226.

Opener Shaun Marsh returned to the top of the order as Adam Voges missed out while India were forced to replace the injured Gautam Gambhir with Virat Kohli but Marsh made just five before he was the first of Nehra's wickets, trapped in front.

Ponting (52) then put on 64 for the second wicket with Shane Watson, who made 49 and 62 from White and 40 from Michael Hussey looked to be putting them in position to make an extremely good score.

However, India hit back, four run outs not helping Australia's cause and after Marsh apart, the top order all made useful contributions, no other player could reach double figures, Harbhajan Singh claiming a couple of wickets and Yuvraj Singh one as Australia lost their last five wickets for 33 runs.

India got off to a flyer with Virender Sehwag making 30 in 19 balls and Sachin Tendulkar hitting 40 before he was dismissed seven runs short of his 17,000th run in ODI cricket.

The veteran was the first of two wickets for off-spinner Nathan Hauritz and left-arm seamer Bollinger did much of the early damage by dismissing Sehwag, Kohli (10) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26).

Yuvraj Singh (12), Suresh Raina (17) and Ravi Jadeja (7) all failed to contribute and although Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar attempted to repeat their heroics of Vadodara, they were unable to do so, Harbhajan brilliantly caught and bowled by Watson for 31 in 25 balls and Kumar feathering an edge to wicket-keeper Graham Manou.

Watson then had the game sealed when Nehra lofted him high into the night sky only to be held by Hauritz at long-on.

The fifth game is in Hyderabad on 5th November.

© Cricket World 2009

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