Adelaide: A strong bowling performance, coupled with a quickfire half-century by Virat Kohli helped India to a 37-run victory over Australia in the first Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Adelaide Oval here on Tuesday.

Chasing 189, Australia started strongly before losing wickets at regular intervals to slump to 151 all out in 19.3 overs. young pacer Jasprit Bumrah had a memorable T20I debut, returning figures of 3-23 in 3.3 overs.

Ravindra Jadeja (2-21), Ravichandran Ashwin (2-28) and another debutant, Hardik Pandya (2-37) also bagged a couple of wickets each as India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Ashish Nehra (1-28) gave away a lot of runs in his first spell before clinching a wicket towards the end.

Earlier, Kohli stiched together a 134-run stand with Suresh Raina which brought the Indian innings back on track after the visitors had suffered a couple of early blows.

The Delhi batsman remeained unbeaten on 90 runs, smashing nine fours and two sixes during his 55-ball stint. Raina batted excellently at the other end, scoring 41 runs off 34 deliveries with three hits to the fence and a six. The duo helped India post 188/3 in their 20 overs. Kohli was adjudged the man of the match.

Captain Aaron Finch was Australia’s highest scorer with 44. He had four boundaries and a coule of sixes in his 33-ball innings.

Put in to bat by Australia, India were off to a flying start with Rohit Sharma producing the early fireworks. The Mumbai right-hander took a special liking to Shaun Tait’s bowling, hitting the pacer for a six and a four in the first over and then another couple of boundaries in the third.

With opening pacers Tait and Kane Richardson unable to control the Indian batsmen, Australia captain Aaron Finch was forced to make a bowling change, bringing James Faulkner and Shane Watson into the attack.

Faulkner was unlucky to miss out on a wicket in his opening over as a loose shot from Rohit saw the ball come off the top edge of the bat and fly towards third man where Cameron Boyce dropped a sitter.

But the disappointed home fans did not have to wait too long to celebrate as Watson struck twice in the next over. The right-armer sent back the dangerous Rohit with his very first ball as the opener drove an off-cutter straight to Faulkner at mid-on.

Watson dismissed Shikhar Dhawan just four balls later with a slower one as the Delhi batsman’s mistimed shot offered an edge to Matthew Wade behind the stumps.

That saw Kohli and Raina come together and they handled the Australian bowling with ease and by the time the partnership cam to an end in the final over, they had alrady guided the visitors to a big score.

Raina was unlucky to miss out on a half-century, and was dismissed while moving across the stumps and attempting to steer a Faulkner on the off-stump to the on-side. But the left-hander mistimed the shot as the ball went on to his the stumps.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni strode to the middle and brought the crowd to their feet by hitting his first two balls for a six and a four to end the Indian innings on a high note.

The Australians had strong start to their chase with openers Aaron Finch and David Warner going great guns. Although Warner departed in the sixth over after miscuing an attempted pull of Bumrah, Finch and Steven Smith found the gaps at frequent intervals to maintain a high scoring rate.

They scored 42 runs between them in just 23 deliveries before Jadeja and Ashwin struck in bac to back overs to peg back the Australians. Debutant Travis Head never looked comfortable during his five-ball stay in the middle before being trapped leg before by Jadeja.

Watson did not last long before offering skier to Nehra at short fine leg while trying to sweep an Ashwin delivery. Pandya then sent back Cris Lynn and Matthew Wade in consecutive overs to plunge Australia into deep trouble.

(IANS)

Brisbane: Australia rode on a strong batting performance to thrash an insipid India by seven wickets in the second One-Day International (ODI) at the Gabba here on Friday.

This was Australia’s second consecutive win and the hosts have taken a 2-0 lead in the five-ODI series.

Chasing India’s total of 308/8, the hosts rode on excellent displays by George Bailey (76 not out), Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh (both 71) to overhaul the target with an over to spare.

The Indian bowlers made the task easier for the hosts with an indisciplined performance, conceding as many as 12 extra runs (11 wides and a no-ball).

Indian opener Rohit Sharma took the Man of the Match award thanks to his second consecutive century of the series which helped the visitors post a big total. The Mumbai right-hander scored 127 off 124 deliveries with 11 boundaries and three sixes.

Ajinkya Rahane (89) and Virat Kohli (59) also made merry on a pitch which did not offer much assistance for the bowlers.

But the good performance by the Indian batsmen was cancelled out by the bowling attack which lacked any kind of sting.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (1/50), Ishant Sharma (1/60) and Umesh Yadav (1/74) picked up a wicket each, but the visitors seemed unable to prevent the Australians from scoring at a healthy rate.

Finch started off the Australian knock by hitting Sran for a couple of boundaries in the very first over. Ishant was no better at the other end, conceding back to back wides down the leg stump in his opening over.

Opening pacers Ishant Sharma and Barinder Sran were not able to make much of an impression on Australian openers Finch and Marsh, who played them quite comfortably.

The introduction of spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin also had no effect on the run rate as Finch and Marsh continued to score at a healthy rate. The visitors did themselves no favour by some shoddy fielding with Ajinkya Rahane and Sran dropping catches in the slips.

Finch and Marsh put together a 145-run stand for the opening wicket before Ajinkya Rahane pulled off a blinder at long-off off Jadeja’s bowling to send the former on his way.

Marsh also did not last long after that. He was felled when he was surprised by the extra bounce of an Ishant delivery that took the top edge and Kohli took an easy skier at short cover.

Steve Smith looked set for a well-deserved half-century before being undone by some poor shot selection. The right-hander probably misread an incoming delivery from Yadav and did not connect with an attempted cut as the ball nicked his off-stump.

That saw Glenn Maxwell (26 not out) join George Bailey in the middle and the duo pulled the hosts over the line.

Earlier, Rohit slammed his second consecutive ton to guide India to a challenging total. This was his 10th ODI century and the fourth in Australia against the hosts. The Mumbai batsman had scored an unbeaten 171 in the first ODI.

En route to his 124-run knock, Rohit entered his name in the record books by becoming the third batsman to score back-to-back tons against Australia in Australia after England’s Graeme Hick and India’s V.V.S. Laxman. It is also the top score by an Indian opener at the Gabba, going past Sachin Tendulkar’s 91 in March 2008.

James Faulkner (2/64), Joel Paris (1/40), John Hastings (1/46) and Scott Boland (1/64) were the pick of the bowlers for Australia.

Opting to bat first on a flat track where there was nothing much for the quicks, the visitors got off to a disappointing start as opener Shikhar Dhawan got himself out in a shameful fashion while trying to hit a delivery which was outside off stump, only to be caught by wicket-keeper Matthew Wade off the bowling of Joel Paris.

From there on, Kohli and Rohit took on the bowlers and posted a 125-run stand for the second wicket.

Both batsmen were looking good for yet another big score after striking half-centuries. But Kohli paid dearly for trying to sneak two runs in the last ball of the 24th over. A sharp throw rocketed back to Wade by Kane Richardson caught Kohli inches away from the crease to leave India at 134/2 in 23.5 overs.

Rahane then gave good company to Rohit as the duo notched up a 121-run partnership for the third wicket to help India cross the 250-run mark.

But Rohit’s innings came to an end in the 43rd over in an unlucky manner. Rahane drove a slower delivery back at bowler Faulkner who manage to get a bit of his hand on it, to deflect the ball onto the stumps.

Thereafter, Rahane, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (11), Manish Pandey (6), Ravichandran Ashwin (1) and Ravindra Jadeja (5) all threw their wickets away while looking to step up the scoring rate.

(IANS)

Perth: India posted a massive 309/3 in 50 overs against hosts Australia in the opening game of the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series at the WACA Ground here on Tuesday.

Opener Rohit Sharma (171 not out) slammed a superb century while Virat Kohli (91) gave him good support to help team post a challenging total.

(IANS)