India win nail-biting affair to stay afloat in the series

CHANDIGARH: India snatched a win from the jaws of defeat to breath fresh life into the seven-match ODI series. The fourth encounter was a must-win game with the Aussies on the verge of taking a decisive lead having claimed the last two matches. The win was definitely special, especially because it was India’s first over the world champions since the one at Brisbane in the 2004 VB series - since then eight defeats had been inflicted on the Men in Blue by the yellow marauders.

This one was all the more memorable because India did something that they are seldom seen to do. Cricket aficionados are used to witnessing matches where this team snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. But seldom have they witnessed this team clutch on to victory with a display of such rare doggedness.

Australia, chasing 292 to win, were cruising towards the target as late as the 40th over, sitting pretty at 229 for 4. A magnificent 92 by Matthew Hayden and an equally spectacular 75 by Andrew Symonds on the bedrock of decent partnerships for the first four wickets, made the match seem like a cakewalk for the Aussies. Then, came the anti-climax with the world champions falling short by eight runs.   

The most defining factor of the contest was that this time around the home team did not wilt under pressure and the favourite XI of this nation  held their nerve in the crucial last overs.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to bat first and the host had a sedate start with just 34 runs coming in the first 10 overs. But more importantly, they kept their wickets intact as opposed to the earlier matches. While Sourav Ganguly’s innings (41) was a mix of aggression and caution in the right proportion, Tendulkar played unlike his usual belligerent self. The opening pair put in 91 runs — the highest for India in the series so far.

In came Yuvraj Singh at No.3 playing in front of his home crowd. He and Tendulkar put in another 81 runs for the second wicket. Yuvraj’s 39 wasn’t as good as his 121 in the last match but did enough to keep the crowd here happy. But it was Tendulkar who made all the difference.

The Little Master played an uncharacteristic innings of 79 (off 119 balls) - and believe it or not he took 42 balls to score his first boundary. He looked sluggish throughout and struggled to run between the wickets showing signs that age may finally be catching up with him.

Having said that, it is also imperative to point out that in the context of this match his innings proved pivotal. Playing the sheet anchor’s role to perfection the batting maestro held the innings together while breaking a host of records in the process.

Then came in Dhoni and his 35-ball 50 not out innings ensured that India finish strong. 89 runs came off the last 10 overs, with 20 of them coming in the final over bowled by Nathan Bracken with Dhoni smashing the final ball for a six — the only one from the Indians. And this final onslaught is what probably cost Australia the match. That they gave away 39 extra runs, including a whopping 31 wides, was also crucial. Their captain Ricky Ponting made no bones of accepting his side’s frailties.

“31 wides are fairly unacceptable in one-day cricket. And come to think of it, they conceded only 18 extras in their entire innings,” admitted Ponting. “Also they scored a lot in the last 10 overs. At the end of the day, that cost us the game.”

Whatever be the reason, this Indian win provided a perfect example of the Darwinian theory of the struggle for existence and the survival of the fittest. Just how fit is now the rampant question going into the last three matches of this series.