Australia thrash India by nine wickets
by Neil Manthorp 28 September 2012, 18:52
Australia handed out one of the biggest hidings of the tournament so far as they thrashed a hapless Indian team by nine wickets in their opening Super Eight encounter at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday night.
Full Scorecard: Australia v India
India posted a modest 140-7 in their 20 overs but openers Shane Watson and David Warner were in the mood to score a hundred more than that. They went most of the way before Australia crossed the winning line with an extraordinary 37 balls to spare.
Man-of-the-match Watson recorded a remarkable half dozen sixes in his 50 which came from just 28 balls and Warner wasn’t far behind reaching his half century from 37 balls with six fours and two sixes.
MS Dhoni used no less than eight bowlers in his attempt to halt the carnage but they were helpless.
As devastating as the batsmen were, India’s collective bowling effort was the worst seen in the tournament so far, and there has been no shortage of poor stuff delivered.
An opening stand of 133, the highest in the competition so far, was ended when Watson tamely chopped a Yuvraj Singh delivery to cover and departed for 72 from 42 balls with two fours and seven sixes. Warner remained unbeaten on 63 from 41 balls with seven fours and three sixes.
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India’s innings stuttered at every stage and never burst into life. All rounder Irfan Pathan, once again promoted to open the batting in place of Virender Sehwag, seemed more intent on scoring runs at any pace rather than taking advantage of the Power Play.
But if cynical fans were relieved to see him flick a Watson delivery to midwicket for 31 from 30 balls, there was to be none of the hoped for acceleration from the middle order.
The world’s most in-form player of 2012, Virat Kohli, was a surprise victim of Pat Cummins’s pace and miscued a hook to mid off for 15 and Yuvraj Singh (8) holed out to deep midwicket off Shane Watson without threatening.
Suresh Raina was the pick of the bunch with 26 from 19 balls but captain Dhoni was probably the most disappointing with an uninspired 15 from 21 deliveries before slapping Cummins to extra cover.
Fast bowler Cummins was comfortably the pick of the Australian attack with figures of 4-0-16-2 while Watson finished with 3-34 in his four overs.
AUSTRALIA: DA Warner, SR Watson, MEK Hussey, CL White, GJ Bailey (capt), GJ Maxwell, MS Wade (wk), DT Christian, GB Hogg, PJ Cummins, MA Starc
INDIA: G Gambhir, V Kohli, SK Raina, Yuvraj Singh, RG Sharma, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), IK Pathan, R Ashwin, Harbhajan Singh, PP Chawla, Z Khan
