AP, Bengaluru :
Australia ended India’s one-day international winning streak at nine after taking the fourth match of their series by 21 runs on Thursday.
India had never won 10 successive ODIs – by comparison Australia has done it six times – and its bid was only just thwarted.
Australia made 334-5, the first 300 score in the series, including a 14th ODI century by opener David Warner.
India was in it until the game was suspended because of a shower. India lost its momentum. Kedar Jadhav, on 67, was caught in the deep in the 46th over. Three balls later, Manish Pandey was bowled on 33 by Pat Cummins.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni led India past 300, but the asking rate was too much in the face of inspired death bowling from the Australia quicks. India ended on 313-8.
India still leads the series 3-1 with one match to go, but lost an ODI for the first time since July.
“The pitch looked worse than it played,” India captain Virat Kohli said. “At the 30-over mark, they were going strong. I thought if we restricted them below 350, it would be a great effort. We got a good opening partnership but we needed one big partnership after that as well. From that point of view, it wasn’t a great batting performance from us.”
Kane Richardson (3-58) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (2-56) shared five wickets to strangle the Indian run chase.
But India made a good start as Ajinkya Rahane (53 off 66 balls) and Rohit Sharma (65 off 55 balls) put on 106 runs for the opening wicket.
Rahane was caught at long on, then Sharma and Kohli were in a bad mixup, both ending up at the same end. Sharma was run out.
Kohli played on off Coulter-Nile in the 25th over as India was reduced to 147-3.
Hardik Pandya (41) came out to bat at No. 4 again, and attacked the spinners as in Indore. He made 88 with Jadhav as India’s 200 came up in the 32nd over. Pandya was out hitting to long on.
Then came the fateful delay for a shower.
Earlier, Warner made 124 hitting 12 fours and four sixes in his 119-ball stay. He became the first Australia batsman to score a century in his 100th ODI.
He put on 231 runs with Aaron Finch (94), Australia’s highest opening stand in ODIs. They eclipsed the 212 in 1986 by Geoff Marsh and David Boon at Jaipur.
“Warner and Finch were spectacular,” captain Steven Smith said. “Warner’s ODI form has been unbelievable in the last two years.”
India rested first-choice pacemen Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, and Warner and Finch capitalized in a chanceless partnership. The India fielders looked short of energy.
Even the India spinners proved expensive. Yuzvendra Chahal (0-54) and Axar Patel (0-66) were plundered. Australia crossed 150 in the 26th over, and 200 in the 32nd over.
Warner reached his hundred off 103 balls. Overall, he became the eighth batsman to achieve this feat in the 100th ODI, joining Gordon Greenidge, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan (all for West Indies), Chris Cairns (New Zealand), Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), and Marcus Trescothick (England) in this select club.
Warner was caught at long on in the 35th over. His opening stand with Finch was also the second highest in ODIs on Indian soil, after Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs put up 235 in 2000 at Kochi.
Australia lost three wickets for five runs in 14 deliveries to go from 231-0 to 236-3. Finch was caught at mid-on after facing 96 balls, and hitting 10 fours and three sixes.
Australia ended India’s one-day international winning streak at nine after taking the fourth match of their series by 21 runs on Thursday.
India had never won 10 successive ODIs – by comparison Australia has done it six times – and its bid was only just thwarted.
Australia made 334-5, the first 300 score in the series, including a 14th ODI century by opener David Warner.
India was in it until the game was suspended because of a shower. India lost its momentum. Kedar Jadhav, on 67, was caught in the deep in the 46th over. Three balls later, Manish Pandey was bowled on 33 by Pat Cummins.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni led India past 300, but the asking rate was too much in the face of inspired death bowling from the Australia quicks. India ended on 313-8.
India still leads the series 3-1 with one match to go, but lost an ODI for the first time since July.
“The pitch looked worse than it played,” India captain Virat Kohli said. “At the 30-over mark, they were going strong. I thought if we restricted them below 350, it would be a great effort. We got a good opening partnership but we needed one big partnership after that as well. From that point of view, it wasn’t a great batting performance from us.”
Kane Richardson (3-58) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (2-56) shared five wickets to strangle the Indian run chase.
But India made a good start as Ajinkya Rahane (53 off 66 balls) and Rohit Sharma (65 off 55 balls) put on 106 runs for the opening wicket.
Rahane was caught at long on, then Sharma and Kohli were in a bad mixup, both ending up at the same end. Sharma was run out.
Kohli played on off Coulter-Nile in the 25th over as India was reduced to 147-3.
Hardik Pandya (41) came out to bat at No. 4 again, and attacked the spinners as in Indore. He made 88 with Jadhav as India’s 200 came up in the 32nd over. Pandya was out hitting to long on.
Then came the fateful delay for a shower.
Earlier, Warner made 124 hitting 12 fours and four sixes in his 119-ball stay. He became the first Australia batsman to score a century in his 100th ODI.
He put on 231 runs with Aaron Finch (94), Australia’s highest opening stand in ODIs. They eclipsed the 212 in 1986 by Geoff Marsh and David Boon at Jaipur.
“Warner and Finch were spectacular,” captain Steven Smith said. “Warner’s ODI form has been unbelievable in the last two years.”
India rested first-choice pacemen Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, and Warner and Finch capitalized in a chanceless partnership. The India fielders looked short of energy.
Even the India spinners proved expensive. Yuzvendra Chahal (0-54) and Axar Patel (0-66) were plundered. Australia crossed 150 in the 26th over, and 200 in the 32nd over.
Warner reached his hundred off 103 balls. Overall, he became the eighth batsman to achieve this feat in the 100th ODI, joining Gordon Greenidge, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan (all for West Indies), Chris Cairns (New Zealand), Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), and Marcus Trescothick (England) in this select club.
Warner was caught at long on in the 35th over. His opening stand with Finch was also the second highest in ODIs on Indian soil, after Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs put up 235 in 2000 at Kochi.
Australia lost three wickets for five runs in 14 deliveries to go from 231-0 to 236-3. Finch was caught at mid-on after facing 96 balls, and hitting 10 fours and three sixes.
