By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
Mumbai : Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik spun India to a consolation two-wicket win over Australia in the seventh One-Day International here Wednesday after the visitors had taken a winning lead in the seven-match series. The final scoreline read 4-2.
Kartik’s six for 27 restricted Australia to 193 in 41.3 overs and India scored 195 for eight in 46 overs, with Robin Uthappa being the top scorer with 47 (59 balls, 4x4s, 2x6s). The win was sealed by an unbroken 52-run partnership for the ninth wicket between Zaheer Khan (31 not out, 43 balls, 3x4s, 1×6) and Kartik (21 not out, 34 balls, 3x4s).
Kartik was adjudged the Man of the Match for his all-round performance at a venue where he had won the same award in a Test against the same opponents in 2004-05.
With the series wrapped up, Australian bowlers conceded a whopping 36 ‘extras’, including 20 wide balls.
The match was of academic interest only, but Kartik’s six-wicket haul, a packed Wankhede Stadium and a chance to watch Sachin Tendulkar in action for possibly the last time at the venue made the occasion both nostalgic as well as electric. The stadium, home to Tendulkar, will be demolished and replaced by a modern one.
Tendulkar, however, disappointed his fans as he managed just 21 (36 balls, 4×4).
The two teams will now play a Twenty20 match at the Brabourne Stadium Saturday to wrap up the tour.
Chasing Australia’s none-too-formidable total, India lost Ganguly and Dinesh Karthik, who replaced Rahul Dravid in the XI, for just eight runs, and both failed to score. But Tendulkar, probably playing his last ODI at his home ground, and Yuvraj Singh tried to resurrect the innings with their 30-run partnership.
Tendulkar hit Mitchell Johnson for two boundaries in an over in an effort to gain ascendancy. When at 14, he was dropped by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, but he failed to much advantage of the ‘life’. An inside edge off Tendulkar’s heavy bat a Brett Lee delivery hit the stumps and the packed stadium suddenly fell silent as Tendulkar waked back to the dressing room.
It could be the last time locals saw the 34-year-old maestro in action in an ODI at Wankhede Stadium, built in 1975. The new stadium would take at least two years to come up and by that time, who knows, he might have retired.
Yuvraj, who has been in fine form lately, did not survive for long and Nathan Bracken induced an edge from him to wicketkeeper Gilchrist. When the left-hander got out after making 15 off 26 balls, including two boundaries, India were tottering at 49 for four.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (5) followed a Bracken outswinger to give Gilchrist for his 400th catch in ODIs. At 63 for five, the competitive element seemed to have gone from the match with the cream of the batting having been wiped out.
It was now left to Uthappa (47, 59 balls, 4x4s, 2x6s) and Pathan to make a match out of it. But Pathan lasted just five balls before snicking James Hopes to Michael Clarke at second slip. India 64 for six, and the spectators started leaving for homes.
Uthappa tried his best to raise hopes by hitting Bracken over mid-wicket for six and in the next over he smashed Lee for a stinging straight drive to the long off fence. Not to be satisfied with this, the Karnataka batsman, off the front foot, smashed James Hopes for a contemptuous six over extra over. The stroke showed his class and hitting prowess.
Harbhajan also got into the act and superbly drove a slow ball from Lee to extra cover boundary. The two brought up 50 of the partnership off 60 balls. But just when they were looking in control of the situation, part-time left-arm spinner Michael Clarke deceived Uthappa’s bat to win a leg before the wicket verdict from Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar, officiating in his 100th ODI.
Soon after that Harbhajan (19, 49 balls, 1×4) gave a straight catch to Ponting at first slip off Johnson as India were reduced to 143 for eight in the 36th over.
With Zaheer and Kartik at the crease – and only Rudra Pratap Singh left to bat -the spectators would have thought the match was as good as over. But the duo played some audacious shots to frustrate the Australians. Zaheer even hit Lee for a straight six in the 42nd over to give the fans a reason to cheer. And, in the next over, Karthik steered a Bracken delivery between the wicketkeeper and Ponting at first slip for a boundary.
A finely glanced boundary by Zaheer off Mitchell Johnson brought India closer to victory. Ponting placed two slips for Bracken but an edge eluded Karthik’s bat as he repeatedly played and missed.
But their persistence paid in the end and a leg-bye boundary off Johnson signalled the win, sending the players and the crowd into raptures.
Earlier in the day, Zaheer, on his home ground, gave India a sensational start by having Michael Clarke leg before the wicket off the very first ball of the match after Australia won the toss. Dar took no time in declaring his out. It was Clarke’s second successive first-ball ‘duck’.
But Gilchrist and Ponting did not let the early jolt bother them. Ponting smashed left-arm pacer Rudra Pratap Singh for three boundaries in an over to take control. The two batsmen put up 60 for the second wicket and that too at a brisk rate of six and half runs per over before Pathan had Gilchrist caught by Harbhajan in the third man region.
Ponting and Brad Hodge then added 57 for third wicket to continue the good work while maintaining the brisk run rate.
But a twin strike by Kartik checked the Australian progress a bit. The Railways bowler first had Hodge caught by Karthik at wide slip and off the next ball he forced in-form Andrew Symonds to cut but Tendulkar held a fine catch at cover.
From 117 for two, Australia were now 117 for four. Soon after that left-arm pacer Rudra Pratap Singh accounted for Ponting, inducing an edge from him to Dhoni.
Later, James Hopes scored 22 and Brad Haddin made 19 as the Indian bowlers did well to restrict the rampaging Australia inside 200.
Apart from Kartik, who finished with excellent figures of 10-3-27-6, R.P. Singh took two scalps and Zaheer, with the solitary wicket, took his tally to 196. Ganguly, who needed one wicket to complete his century of wickets, failed to take a wicket in two overs.
SCOREBOARD
Seventh One-Day International, India vs. Australia, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Australia:
Michael Clarke lbw b Khan 0
Adam Gilchrist c Harbhajan b Pathan 19
Ricky Ponting c Dhoni b R.P. Singh 57
Brad Hodge c Karthik b Kartik 16
Andrew Symonds c Tendulkar b Kartik 0
Bradd Haddin lbw b Kartik 19
James Hopes b Kartik 22
Brad Hogg c Uthappa b Kartik 0
Brett Lee c Singh b Kartik 0
Mitchell Johnson not out 24
Nathan Bracken c Harbhajan b R.P. Singh 3
Extras: (byes 4, leg byes 3, wides 26) 33
Total: (all out in 41.3 overs) 193
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Clarke, 0.1 overs), 2-60 (Gilchrist, 9.2), 3-117 (Hodge, 19.5), 4-117 (Symonds, 19.6), 5-129 (Ponting, 26.1), 6-162 (Haddin, 31.1), 7-162 (Hogg, 31.4), 8-162 (Lee, 31.5), 9-177 (Hopes, 35.5)
Bowling:
Zaheer Khan 9 1 22 1 (5w)
Rudra Pratap Singh 8.3 1 59 2 (9w)
Irfan Pathan 5 0 23 1
Sourav Ganguly 2 0 24 0 (3w)
Harbhajan Singh 7 0 31 0 (1w)
Murali Kartik 10 3 27 6
India:
Sourav Ganguly c Gilchrist b Johnson 0
Sachin Tendulkar b Lee 21
Dinesh Karthik c Gilchrist b Johnson 0
Yuvraj Singh c Gilchrist b Bracken 15
Robin Uthappa lbw b Clarke 47
Mahendra Singh Dhoni c Gilchrist b Bracken 5
Irfan Pathan c Clarke b Hopes 0
Harbhajan Singh c Ponting b Johnson 19
Zaheer Khan not out 31
Murali Kartik not out 21
Extras: (b 4, lb 12, wides 20) 36
Total: (fro eight wickets in 46 overs) 195
Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Ganguly, 1.4 overs), 2-8 (Karthik, 3.4), 3-38 (Tendulkar, 10.2), 4-49 (Yuvraj, 13.5), 5-63 (Dhoni, 17.5), 6-64 (Pathan, 18.5), 7-129 (Uthappa, 31.3), 8-143 (Harbhajan, 35.4)
Bowling:
Brett Lee 10 1 37 1 (wides 3)
Mitchell Johnson 10 0 46 3 (w 9)
Nathan Bracken 10 0 30 2
James Hopes 5 0 13 1 (w 1)
Brad Hogg 8 0 40 0 (w 3)
Michael Clarke 3 0 13 1
Result: India won by two wickets
Man of the Match: Murali Kartik
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and Ameesh Saheba (India)
Third umpire: G.A. Pratapkumar (India)
Match referee: Chris Broad (England)