Australia 350 for 4 (Marsh 112, Watson 93, White 57) beat India 347 (Tendulkar 175, Raina 59, Watson 3-47, McKay 3-59) by three runs.
Indian little master Sachin Tendulkar scored his 45th ODI century and also had crossed 17,000 runs in the 5th ODI tonight. Australia set a high target of 351 runs. Tendulkar almost chased a target of 351 on his own, except for small contributions from Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina. But with the target within sight, Tendulkar got out and the rest choked, falling short by three runs with two balls still to go. In Chennai, in 1999-00, Tendulkar, having played an innings as incredible as this, left the last three wickets 18 to get; tonight he left them 19. He wanted to be left alone that evening and will want to be left alone tonight too.
Tendulkar came out of a relatively lean patch, keeping the pace up without taking undue risks and playing mostly cricketing shots, but was left seeking support from the other end. While the chase seemed to be slipping away from India, in isolation, Tendulkar had already played a masterpiece. He started scratchily, as the series so far has been for him, and then shifted gears seamlessly, and counter-attacked every time a wicket fell at the other end. The aerial shots were all hit in vacant areas, strike was alternated efficiently, and Shane Watson's whirlwind 93 earlier in the day seemed to have found its match.
A stunning pulled six and an inside-out four from Tendulkar in Watson's next over meant India still kept the momentum going, and that the required run-rate didn't reach unmanageable proportions. Two more straight sixes, one of the vintage Tendulkar type and the other a mis-hit, put Nathan Hauritz out of the attack. In the 24th over, though, Adam Voges pulled off a stunner at point to send MS Dhoni back, and leave Tendulkar an improbable task to achieve on his own.
The fire and ice combination of Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh took Australia to a huge total on a true and flat Hyderabad pitch. Watson provided the early impetus, converting a conservative start into a boundary-fest towards the end of the first Powerplay. Marsh assumed the anchorman role, and batted almost through the innings. Fifty-four of Watson's 93 runs came in fours and sixes, Marsh ran 68 of his 112. India contributed to their own woes by dropping four catches and generally being their usual casual self in the field.
It shouldn't take away from Watson, though, who added only three after a tough return catch from him was dropped by Yuvraj Singh. By then the damage had been done. Watson made India's bowlers pay dearly for every small error they made in length. Sixty-five of his runs came through midwicket and behind square on the off side, suggesting too many balls on the shorter side. But it was as much about Watson creating the length with his quick eye and footwork, thus putting the bowlers off their plan.
Australia have not followed the Virender Sehwag model of opening the innings in this series, and 24 for 0 from six overs seemed an extension of their three earlier starts: 28 for 1 in six in Vadodara, 40 for 0 in 10 in Delhi, and 37 for 1 in 10 in Mohali. Watson was 10 off 17 ball then, and Marsh 12 off 19. Watson then got two gifts from Praveen Kumar in the seventh: a leg-stump half-volley was flicked ferociously for four, and a short and wide delivery cut to point boundary. Three sixes and five fours in the next five overs later, Praveen, Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel (in for Ishant Sharma) were left smarting, and the score had rocketed to 80 for 0.
That Marsh did his job showed in how he played only nine of those deliveries. And two of them he hit for fours. The surge, though, was all about Watson. Amid pulling over midwicket, he managed aesthetically appealing shots too: a flick over midwicket off Nehra's bowling and a straight six off Munaf. One of the pulls brought up his 50, in the 11th over, off just 40 balls.
From 97 for 0 in 15 overs, Australia went into consolidation mode. Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh managed to slow things down and bring the run-rate under six. Harbhajan, who has had an ordinary series so far, looked the best Indian bowler on display. It was obvious he had slowed down the pace, was flighting the ball more, and was attacking the off stump as opposed to middle and leg. Chances were created, but Marsh was dropped by MS Dhoni on 29. The slowed scoring rate eventually got to Watson, who went to slog-sweep Harbhajan and top-edged the straighter delivery in the 26th over. Moments later Sehwag dropped Marsh off Yuvraj at short extra, but slyly Marsh had reached 51 off 66 by then.
Only one boundary came in the next seven overs. In the 34th, came a free-hit boundary off Munaf, and then the batting Powerplay. Australia didn't go wild slogging, yet managed at least a boundary hit each in the Powerplay overs. Ricky Ponting was deceived by a Praveen slower delivery in the last of the restriction overs, but his run-a-ball 45 worked well with an ever-accelerating Marsh, who had reached 92 off 100 by then. Forty-four came in those five, Marsh soon reached his maiden century, his strike-rate crossed 100 as he did so, suggesting a smartly paced innings.
For Australia's innings, as a whole, to be as smartly paced, one late cameo was required, and Cameron White and Michael Hussey provided that with brutal hitting in the final few overs. The last seven went for 79, the sixes tally went to 13, and the total to 350, more than India have ever chased successfully. Source: cricinfo.com
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