By IANS
Melbourne : Australia scored their first win over Twenty20 world champions India here Friday as they convincingly won the one-off match by nine wickets with 52 balls to spare.
Before Friday’s day-night encounter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, India had beaten Australia in both matches played, including once in the World Championship in South Africa in September last year.
India’s batting inexplicably collapsed and they were all out for a mere 74 runs in 17.3 overs, avoiding by a solitary run the ignominy of notching up the lowest score ever in this version of the game. Kenya holds the unenviable world record with 73 in 16.5 overs against New Zealand in Durban last year.
Irfan Pathan (26 off 30 balls) was the lone batsman to enter double digits while left-arm fast bowler Nathan Bracken bagged three wickets and left-arm Chinaman bowler Adam Voges bagged two consecutive wickets.
In reply, Australia reached home in 11.2 overs, making 75 for the loss of Adam Gilchrist’s wicket (25, 22 balls, 2x4s, 1×6).
Michael Clarke, who led the team in the absence of captain Ricky Ponting, was the top scorer with an unbeaten 37 (36 balls, 1x4s, 1×6) and Brad Hodge remained not out on 10 off 10 balls. Clarke was adjudged the Man of the Match.
Debutant Praveen Kumar took his first – the lone wicket to fall – when Gilchrist tried to hit a second successive six off the Uttar Pradesh pacer and holed out to Gautam Gambhir at long on. But Clarke and Hodge guided Australia to a most easy win.
Earlier, after Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat, left-handed Pathan made 26 while Virender Sehwag and Sreesanth failed to open their accounts. Sachin Tendulkar watched from the sidelines as he was not picked in the XI.
Voges dismissed Harbhajan Singh and Sreesanth off successive balls, but debutant Ishant Sharma denied him the hat trick by blocking the next ball.
The third debutant in the match was Michael Hussey’s brother, off-spinner David.
India had lost the Test series to Australia 1-2.
India and Australia will join Sri Lanka for the one-day triangular series that starts Feb 3. In the opening match, India clash with Australia in Brisbane.
Scoreboard:
One-off Twenty20 International, India vs. Australia, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
India:
Gautam Gambhir c Hopes b Bracken 9
Virender Sehwag run out (Clarke) 0
Dinesh Karthik b Lee 8
Robin Uthappa c D. Hussey b Bracken 1
Rohit Sharma b Hopes 8
Mahendra Singh Dhoni c Lee b D. Hussey 9
Irfan Pathan c Gilchrist b Bracken 26
Praveen Kumar c Voges b Noffke 6
Harbhajan Singh c Clarke b Voges 1
Sreesanth c Hodge b Voges 0
Ishant Sharma not out 3
Extras: (wides 3) 3
Total: (all out in 17.3 overs) 74
Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Sehwag, 0.5 overs), 2-12 (Gambhir, 1.4), 3-20 (Karthik, 2.6), 4-20 (Uthappa, 3.2), 5-32 (R. Sharma, 6.4), 6-49 (Dhoni, 11.4), 7-60 (Kumar, 14.1), 8-63 (Harbhajan, 15.2), 9-63 (Sreesanth, 15.3)
Bowling:
Brett Lee 3 0 13 1 (2w)
Nathan Bracken 2.3 1 11 3
Ashley Noffke 4 0 23 1
James Hopes 3 0 10 1
David Hussey 3 0 12 1 (1w)
Adam Voges 2 0 5 2
Australia:
Adam Gilchrist c Gambhir b Kumar 25
Michael Clarke not out 37
Brad Hodge not out 10
Extras (b 1, lb 1, w 1) 3
Total: (for one wicket in 11.2 overs) 75
Fall of wicket: 1-57 (Gilchrist, 7.3 overs)
Bowling:
Irfan Pathan 3 0 18 0
Sreesanth 3 0 25 0
Praveen Kumar 2 0 15 1
Ishant Sharma 1.2 0 8 0 (1w)
Harbhajan Singh 2 0 7 0
Result: Australia won by nine wickets
Man of the Match: Michael Clarke (Australia)
Umpires: Bruce Oxenford and Simon Taufel (both Australia)
TV umpire: Bob Parry (Australia)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)