CRICKET: A RECORD VICTORY AT THE MCG

Venue: Melbourne
Event : 4th ODI of CB series IND vs AUS
Result: Indian pace trio too hot for OZs.

A clear sky in Melbourne. A lanky pacer ambled down to his delivery stride, with a lot of thoughts in his mind having been smashed for 18 runs in his last over. He decides to stick to the basics. Hayden swung his giant bat only to edge the ball to the keeper. Ishant Sharma celebrated and the turning point of the match was there for everyone to see. Hayden’s wicket started the downfall of Australian batting on a track where India had never registered a win for 22 years. The Australians were bundled out for a paltry 159. The Indians were well and truly in the driver’s seat.

But if one expected a quick finish he couldn’t have been more mistaken. The Australians came back roaring. The Indian openers were expected to smash their way to the target. But after a few edges that flew to the ropes, Viru fell LBW to Bracken. But Hawk eye showed the ball passing way above the stumps. Sachin at the other end was confidence personified. Three boundaries of which two were in the V, off a single over of Lee made his intentions clear. He was lucky though. The umpire did not give him out when he nicked a ball to the keeper. ( a rare instance when Sachin had’t walked. Probably that tilted the decision in his favour.)But at the other end wickets were tumbling. Pathan promoted to number 3 did not have much success. Gambhir promised a lot but once again failed to convert a start into a big one. Yuvi was all at sea in his short stay at the crease.


The Indians were reduced to 5 for 102. Dhoni and the inexperienced Rohit Sharma were at the crease with India requiring 58 more. Then followed a period of draught for the Indians with no boundary scored for almost 21 overs. Lee Bracken Johnson and Clark were not easy to score off. At one stage there were 7 men on the off side. Still runs weren’t coming for India. The duo patiently made it to the 35 over mark when Ponting was forced to bring in his fifth bowler Clarke or Symonds. That was where the Aussies lost the plot. They sorely missed a fifth bowler. Dhoni and Sharma quickly cashed in on the opportunity and the rest is history.

Earlier the Indian pacers proved their mettle. Gilchrist went in the first over LBW to Sreesanth (another wrong decision). Hayden fell to Ishanth. Ponting came and went, once again falling to Ishanth Sharma (This is getting to be a routine). Clarke, Symonds and Haddin didn’t manage any hefty contributions. Bhajji and Pathan continued the good work of Ishanth And Sreesanth. Michael Hussey saved the blushes for Australia notching up a brilliant half century. Ishanth was named the Man of the Match for his 4 wicket haul. He definitely made the Aussies sweat.