India canter to win as Australia’s Cricket World Cup build-up suffers another blow
Australia’s World Cup preparations are in ruins after they crashed to a calamitous fifth successive one-day international defeat, crushed by India by 99 runs via DLS method at Indore.
Set 317 from 33 overs after rain delayed play for 70 minutes during their pursuit of India’s record-breaking 5-399, a late power-hitting rally from Sean Abbott spared some blushes before Australia were bowled out for 217 in 28.2 overs on Sunday (Monday AEST) to fall behind 2-0 in the three-match series.
India’s total was their highest in all ODIs against Australia – surpassing their 383-5 at Bangalore in 2013 – and their second biggest at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, only behind their 418-5 against the West Indies in 2011.
An unwanted record went the way of Cam Green (2-103), who conceded the most runs by a bowler in an Australia-India ODI.
“We didn’t execute greatly with the ball,” Abbott said. “As soon as we missed the stumps, we were punished.”
After the early departures of Matt Short (9) and acting captain Steve Smith (0) off successive deliveries, David Warner (53) looked good before succumbing to Ravichandran Ashwin in bizarre fashion.
Facing up right-handed to negate Ashwin’s off spin, Warner “switched” into a left-handed reverse sweep, clearly bottom-edging the carrom ball into his pad, all while tumbling over, and was adjudged lbw.
After a long discussion with partner Josh Inglis, Warner, incredibly, opted not to review.
The great Ashwin castled a flummoxed Marnus Labuschagne (27) with an arm ball before trapping Inglis (6) plumb in front. Green’s horror day ended in amateurish style, run out for 19 by India wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan after lazily plonking his bat over the crease.
Australia’s tail wagged with a thrilling 77-run ninth-wicket stand between Abbott (54) and Josh Hazlewood (23), who both notched career-highs.
“It was a difficult batting wicket in the end,” Abbott said. “Facing their spinners, they were ragging it both ways. Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja on that wicket, especially Ashwin ... tremendous skills spinning it both ways as a finger spinner.
“He asked me if I was picking them and I said ‘no chance mate’.”
Ashwin (3-41) and Jadeja (3-42) were able to extract significant turn on a surface which looked benign earlier when Indian pair Shreyas Iyer (105) and Shubman Gill (104) put on 200 for the second wicket after being sent in.
After raising his ton, Iyer survived a caught-and-bowled shout on video review when a diving Abbott, while plucking a right-handed screamer, scraped the ball on the ground, similar to Mitchell Starc’s contentious non-catch at Lord’s which earned England’s Ben Duckett a reprieve in this year’s Ashes.
Stand-in skipper KL Rahul belted 52, then came the ‘SKY’ show.
Dashing Suriyakumar Yadav (72no) crunched the first four balls of Green’s eighth over for 6-6-6-6 and hit six maximums in total in his thrilling 37-ball cameo, leaving Australia stunned and India assured of entering the World Cup with the No 1 ranking.