KULDEEP THIRD INDIAN TO TAKE ODI HATTRICK
SPINNER SHINES AS KOHLI’S TEAM BEAT AUSTRALIA BY 50 RUNS
Time will tell whether the mystery around Kuldeep Yadav deepened after he took a hattrick at Eden Gardens on Thursday but by then the second one-dayer against Australia had already swung India’s way. Yadav’s feat, the second at Eden after Kapil Dev’s hattrick in 1991 and the third by an Indian, fastforwarded India to their eighth successive ODI win.
There will be sterner tests ahead but in certain conditions this India team is not to be messed with. Not even after Australia’s bowlers showed commendable discipline to suffocate them in their middle and late overs with the bat. Certainly not by an Australia team with questionable abilities against the turning ball.
With the second ball of the 33 rd over, Kul deep Ya dav felled Matthew Wade with a leg-break. Having lost Steve Smith earlier, it seemed to be going downhill for them anyway and then Ashton Agar was dismissed by a fuller leg-break. A googly followed two leg-spinners and Pat Cummins edged it to Dhoni. Just like it was for Smith in the IPL final, his team had come close to winning but eventually lost, this one by 50 runs. Ya dav ended with figures of 10-1-54-3 and to think that David Warner was gone before he had even started operations!
BHUVI’ S EARLY STRIKES
That happened because Bhuvneshwar Kumar had got one to move away and Warner edged it to Ajinkya Rahane at third slip.
Kumar had earlier dismissed Hilton Cartwright with one that came in. That brought Smith to the cr ease and knowing they had restricted India to 252, he and Travis Head slowly rebuilt the innings. Head was given two lives but fell to a full toss from Yuzvendra Chahal. Glenn Maxwell played a cameo leaving Smith with all to do. When Australia
were 138/5 after Smith fell to one that got big on him and R av indra Jadeja turned super-sub with a diving effort, the target looked too steep despite Marcus S to in is’ solo effort at the back end.
So, even though Virat Kohli missed a century, Australia showed lessons from the first onedayer had been well learnt. This despite managing only five fours from the 37th over to the end. Kohli fell on 92 to Coulter-Nile.
The sun having gone AWOL all week, it was appropriate that Eden looked its brightest when Kohliand Raha ne were weaving a majestic tapestry of off-side shots.
That the cover-drive seemed Rahane’s bread-and-butter shot was proof of how well the Mumb aikarwa splaying. To the drives, Kohli added dabs that eased past slips and teased third man. And he pulled when Australia attempted chin music. 31 ODI centuries seemed round the corner but he played on and India were ambushed.
It was nothing compared to what Yadav did though.