India Vs Australia Sixth ODI - Match Report

Result: Australia won by 18 runs
Toss Won by: Australia
Man of The match: Andrew Symonds

Australia 317 for 8 (50 Overs)

Andrew Symonds 107 (88) Zaheer Khan 10-0-62-2
Adam Gilchrist 51 (47) Murali Karthik 9-1-37-1
Ricky Ponting 49 (44) Irfan Pathan 9-0-60-1

India 299 for 7 (50 Overs)

Saurav Ganguly 86 (111) Brad Hogg 10-0-49-4
Sachin Tendulkar 72 (72) Mitchell Johnson 9-1-39-2
Robin Uthappa 44 (28) James Hopes 4-0-30-1

So the Aussies win yet another series. I don't think the result would have surprised many people. The margin maybe yes. Maybe they expected India to put up a better fight in the series. Maybe they did not expect India to be all out for 148. Maybe they thought Twenty20 Was just a form of Cricket similar to One-day cricket with less overs. Maybe they thought India could use some of the recent success as a catapult to bigger things. But maybe they just forgot one tiny little thing - who the opposition was! The current World Champions, the current Champions trophy holders, the team which leads the One-Day and Test Rankings by a distance. And teh Aussies showed exactly why they hold all the titles they do. A 4-1 score with just one match to go in the series!

But Its not like India didn't have their chances. A couple of crucial chances were allowed to let go today and India payed for it. And paid for it very heavily. Symonds was put down by Sreesanth very very early and he was the difference between the two teams in the match. After Gilchrist who had found his touch back in the previous match along with Ponting had given a solid start to the innings, it was the one-man show of Symonds that just blew India away. Australia posting 317 and putting India right under pressure. Chasing 318 to stay in the series is no mean task. If at all India were going to get close, they would need a good start.

A good start was what they got with Sachin and Saurav playing steadily scoring 140 in 25 overs and India looked strong with a required run-rate of just above 7 with 10 wickets in hand. But just then Sachin fell as he could not drag his feet back into the crease as Gilchrist quickly removed the bails standing up to James Hopes. Even after that Pathan who came one-down took full use of the delayed power play taken by the Australian skipper and his run-a-ball 29 ensured that India were the favourites to win even as he got out with India requiring 129 off 17 overs. But after that India suddenly lost their way

Rahul Dravid's woeful form continued as he looked absolutely bewildered on the pitch. Yuvraj Singh didn't do too better either and that added to the pressure on the other vbatsmen as the required run-rate started zooming up. Uthappa tried with all his might and his 28 ball 44 just kept the Indian hopes alive. But in the end the score proved to be too much for them and India fell short by 18 runs. The match was effectively lost in the middle overs somewhere when Dravid and Yuvraj were batting.

The action shifts to Mumbai now for the final match of the series and also the lone Twenty20 match. All the talk of Indian team using the rotation policy has gone out of the window. Indian must be looking for a consolation win in the series. And the Aussies being the team they are will not be satisfied by just a series win but will work extra hard that they achieve a 5-1 result. So should be a hard-fought battle.. provided India show the fight for it...