India vs Australia Cricket Series 2007-08

India vs Australia Melbourne Twenty20 International

Australia beat India by nine wickets

Australia has smashed the Twenty20 world title-holders off their perch, with an crushing nine-wicket over India at the MCG.
The Australians regained their focus after the anger of having Harbhajan Singh beat his racial abuse ban during the week by rolling the tourists for a pathetic 74 in 17.3 overs, cantering to 1-75 with 52 balls remaining. Adam Gilchrist began his farewell tour with 25 and was given a roaring send-off by the crowd of 84,041, while acting captain Michael Clarke (37 not out) and Brad Hodge (10no) ticked off the target.
Clarke, who took the reins while Ricky Ponting nursed a sore back, electrified his side with a brilliant diving save and run out of Virender Sehwag in the first over and Australia never eased off. Australia were good with the ball and sharp in the field, but India's batting was awful and their total just beat the 73 minnows Kenya managed in last year's world championships in South Africa as the lowest international score in this form of the game.
The Rogue Traders, who performed during the innings break, offered better value than the Indian batting, as only allrounder Irfan Pathan (26 from 30 balls) reached double figures, while the last of their three boundaries came in the sixth over. Such was Australia's dominance, Clarke put every fielder around the bat as part-time spinner Adam Voges bowled for a hat-trick after dismissing the controversial Harbhajan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth in successive balls.
Harbhajan was jeered to the wicket by home fans after having his racial abuse suspension against Andrew Symonds downgraded, as was Sreesanth, who clashed with the Australian on the subcontinent last year. In contrast, Symonds was given a rousing ovation by the crowd - one of the biggest to attend a cricket match at the MCG - which was well-behaved throughout, thrilling authorities in the wake of the race row. The crowd also delighted in an embarrassing collision in the field between Harbhajan and Pathan, who bungled Clarke's skied chance.
Australia's barnstorming win gives them a dream platform entering the triangular one-day series, playing India at the Gabba on Sunday. India began this match having beaten Australia in their two previous Twenty20 clashes and as champion from last year's inaugural world titles. They retained largely the same side that won that crown, albeit minus hard-hitting batsman Yuvraj Singh (knee), but Mahendra Singh Dhoni's young side was made to look second-rate.
The five specialist Indian batsmen were all back in their seats in the seventh over, at 5-32. Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa meekly chipped down the ground and were caught, Dinesh Karthik was bowled by a full toss and Rohit Sharma played across the line and was bowled middle stump by medium pacer James Hopes. Nathan Bracken (3-11) had another excellent night with the ball and every bowler took a at least one wicket, including Voges (2-5) and debutant David Hussey (1-12).
Australia made light work of India's total and some mean stares from Sreesanth, as Clarke and Gilchrist posted an opening stand of 57 before the retiring champ holed out down the ground.

IND vs AUS, Twenty20 international, Melbourne: Australia 75-1 beat India 74 by nine wickets

Injured Ponting out of Twenty20 match

An ongoing back injury has ruled Australian captain Ricky Ponting out of Friday night's Twenty20 cricket international against India at the MCG.
Ponting was troubled by pain and stiffness in the lower back during the last Test against India in Adelaide. His place in the Australian batting lineup for Friday night's match will be taken by Brad Hodge, with vice-captain Michael Clarke expected to lead the team.
A Cricket Australia spokesman said Tasmanian paceman Ben Hilfenhaus would be 12th man for the match to be played before a huge crowd at the MCG.

Australia team (from): Ricky Ponting (captain) Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist, Brad Hodge, Andrew Symonds, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Adam Voges, James Hopes, Brett Lee, Ashley Noffke, Nathan Bracken, Ben Hilfenhaus.
India team (from): M.S. Dhoni (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Piyush Chawla, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, S. Sreesanth.

India vs Australia Melbourne Twenty20 International

Scorecard

India Innings 74 all out (17.3 overs)

Australia Innings 75 for 1 (11.2 overs)

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Gambhir	c Hopes	b Bracken	9	6	1	0
Sehwag	run out		0	3	0	0
Karthik		b Lee	8	8	1	0
Uthappa	c D Hussey	b Bracken	1	3	0	0
R Sharma		b Hopes	8	8	1	0
Dhoni	c Lee	b D Hussey	9	27	0	0
Pathan	c Gilchrist	b Bracken	26	30	0	0
Kumar	c Voges	b Noffke	6	10	0	0
Harbhajan	c Clarke	b Voges	1	3	0	0
Sreesanth	c Hodge	b Voges	0	1	0	0
Sharma	not out		3	6	0	0
Extras		3w	3
Total		all out	74	(17.3 ovs)

Bowler O M R W Lee 3.0 0 13 1 Bracken 2.3 1 11 3 Noffke 4.0 0 23 1 Hopes 3.0 0 10 1 D Hussey 3.0 0 12 1 Voges 2.0 0 5 2

Fall of wicket   5 Sehwag 12 Gambhir 20 Karthik 20 Uthappa 32 R Sharma 49 Dhoni 60 Kumar 63 Harbhajan 63 Sreesanth 74 Pathan

			Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Gilchrist	c Gambhir	b Kumar	25	22	2	1
Clarke	not out		37	36	1	1
Hodge	not out		10	10	1	0
Extras		1w 1b 1lb	3
Total		for 1	75	(11.2 ovs)

Bowler O M R W Pathan 3.0 0 18 0 Sreesanth 3.0 0 25 0 Kumar 2.0 0 15 1 Sharma 1.2 0 8 0 Harbhajan 2.0 0 7 0

Fall of wicket   57 Gilchrist

Umpires: B N J Oxenford, S J A Taufel
Australia: M Hussey, Clarke, Hodge, Symonds, D Hussey, Gilchrist, Lee, Hopes, Bracken, Noffke, Voges
India: Sehwag, Gambhir, Uthappa, Dhoni, Karthik, R Sharma, Kumar, Pathan, Harbhajan, Sreesanth, Sharma

India vs Australia 2007 Cricket Series

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India vs Australia Cricket Series 2007-08 in Australia

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