Classy Khawaja century puts Ind under pressure in decider
FIFTH ODI Australia make full use of winning toss on Kotla pitch with second-wicket stand of 99 scorecard
NEWDELHI: Usman Khawaja is all timing, placements and soft hands and he sometimes looks the odd man out in a white-ball game awash with power. And it’s unlikely the 32-year-old lefthander would have had a big role to play if Australian cricket had been through the tumult it has over the last year.
With the ban on David Warner and Steve Smith ending only later this month, Khawaja again showed he can be a force through sheer consistency as Australia draw up selection plans to defend the World Cup.
His perfectly paced 100 (106b, 10x4, 2x6) was the platform again for Australia, after Khawaja’s sensational form had pulled the visitors from 0-2 down to be in a position to challenge for the series. The hosts finished on 272 for nine, leaving India a big challenge to win the series in the last ODI game before the World Cup.
At the time of going to press, India were 138/6 after 30 overs.
The confidence from Khawaja’s sequence of 50, 38, 104 and 91 was in evidence, and by the time his first false shot led to a tame catch to Virat Kohli at cover, he had aggregated 383 runs at an average of 76.5 this series.
ANCHOR KHAWAJA Khawaja’s knocks were the springboard for Australia’s wins in Ranchi and Mohali, and his 76-run stand with skipper Aaron Finch, who elected to bat on a typically flat Ferozeshah Kotla pitch, set them on their way. He added 99 more with Peter Handscomb — he made 52 (60b, 4x4) after the century in Mohali.
If Khawaja is the other lefthanded option as opener — assuming Warner returns strongly — Handscomb is as orthodox and obdurate as Smith, and it will be a hot battle for World Cup spots with a one-day series against Pakistan to go before the side is finalised.
Australia threatened to pile on the runs, but Kohli shuffled the bowlers well. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav struggled for the second game, finishing with 1/74. The young spinner’s shoulders drooped as Khawaja and others handled him without difficulty.
India came roaring back, however, as Ravindra Jadeja, who U Khawaja c Kohli b Bhuvi
100 (106) A Finch b Jadeja 27 (43) P Handscomb c Pant b Shami
52 (60) G Maxwell c Kohli Jadeja 1 (3) M Stoinis b Bhuvi Sarwate 20 (27) A Turner c Jadeja b Kuldeep 20 (20) A Carey c Pant b Shami 3 (9) J Richardson run out 29 (21)
replaced Yuzvendra Chahal as one of two changes by India, showed his finger spin hasn’t gone out of fashion even in a team that swears by wrist spin. He kept things tight, bowled Finch in his first over and got Glenn Maxwell (5) cheaply. He returned a creditable 2/45 in 10 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah led the Indian P Cummins c&b Bhuvi 15 (8) N Lyon not out 1 (3) Extras (b 1, w 3) 4 Total (for 9 wkts; 50 overs) 272 FOW: 1-76, 2-175, 3-178, 4-182, 5-210, 6-225, 7-229, 8-263, 9-272
Bowling: B Kumar 10-0-48-3, M Shami 9-0-57-2, J Bumrah 10-0-39-0, K Yadav 10-0-74-1, R Jadeja 10-0-45-2, K Jadhav
1-0-8-0
bowling fightback with a sensational spell that saw him go for just 14 runs in his first eight overs. However, just when it appeared the hosts would be chasing only around 250, the pacer conceded 19 runs in the 48th over of the innings. Jhye Richardson nicked and drove two consecutive fours and an angry Bum- Batsman/series
George Bailey Aus in Ind 2013-14
David Warner Aus in S.A 2016-17
Usman Khawaja Aus in Ind 2018-19
David Warner Pak in Aus 2016-17
Andrew Symonds Aus in Ind 2007-08 M Runs 6 5 5 5 7
rah’s needless throw off the next delivery went for four. The last four overs thus cost 40 runs.
India’s bowling linchpin still went for only 39 runs in 10 overs. Kuldeep’s attempts at flighting met with big hits, and Bhuvneshwar and Shami both pulled back
their lengths to suit the slow track, which denied much fluency for Australia batsmen in the middle overs. Australia recalled Marcus Stoinis (20), who is nursing a broken thumb, after he came through a fitness test. But he could not get going.