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India defeat world champions

Monday, October 27 2003

India recorded a 37 run win over Australia yesterday after the world champions made a mass of the run chase.

Set a challenging 284 to win, Australia seemed to be on course thanks to Adam Gilchrist's 79 ball 83. Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden added 132 for the first wicket but when Zaheer Khan bowled the Aussie wicketkeeper in the 25th over, the wheels came off.

Australian captain Ponting gave Anil Kumble a return catch in the next over, then Hayden was stumped off the same bowler. Symonds was lbw to Khan for one and Australia had lost four wickets for nine runs in less than four overs.

In a crisis, there is nobody better to have on your side than Michael Bevan, but for once he failed to make his mark. Virender Sehwag bowled both Damien Martyn and Bevan in three balls to leave Australia 177-6 after 36 overs and effectively sew up the game for India.

Ian Harvey was then bowled by Sachin Tendulkar, and although Brad Hogg (29) tried his best to pull it off, the damage was already done.

Earlier in the piece, Tendulkar had recorded his 35th ODI century, and VVS Laxman his second - both have come against Australia - as India amassed 283-5. The pair added 191 for the second wicket at just under five runs per over before Yuvraj Singh (44, 33 balls) and Ajit Afarkar (22, 10 balls), struck some killer boundaries to ultimately put the match beyond Australia's reach.

Australia's new ball pairing of Brackeen and Williams have just 20 ODIs between them, and the entire attack was guilty of a little wayward bowling. Tendulkar amassed alot of runs square of the wicket, particularly on the leg side, whilst Laxman was particularly strong through the covers.

Bracken though finished with 3-53, whilst for India Kumble bowled an impressive spell of 2-28, and now has 308 ODI wickets. Just eight more will see him move past Javagal Srinath as India's leading wicket taker in ODIs, and into fourth place on the all time list.

This defeat leaves Australia on the back foot, as the first game between India and New Zealand was a no result, but it is still hard to imagine the mighty Aussies not at least winning through to the final.

Posted by Barrie