Date:25/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/25/stories/2008092554172000.htm

Sport

India ‘A’ beats Australia ‘A’ by three wickets

S. Dinakar

— Photo: K. Pichumani

CELEBRATION TIME: Rohit Sharma (left) of India ‘A’ celebrates the wicket of Cameron White with his teammates.

Chennai: Even as light deteriorated, Piyush Chawla lit up the arena with some bright hitting. The leg-spinner ended a contest of fortune swings with a six over widish long-on off left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

A close match hurtled to an unexpectedly early conclusion — in the 46th over — with the unbeaten eighth-wicket pair of Wriddhman Saha and Chawla gathering 37 hectic runs of 21 balls.

Chasing 273, India ‘A’ won the last league match of the one-day ‘A’ tri-series by three wickets. The host topped the group with 13 points, well ahead of Australia ‘A’ (9) and New Zealand ‘A’ (2). India and Australia will face off again in the final on Friday.

Stunning six

Chawla (25 not out, 11b, 1x4, 3x6) struck paceman Brett Geeves for a stunning straight six. He then turned his attention to Doherty, clouting the spinner over the mid-wicket ropes. At the other end, wicket-keeper batsman Saha (25 not out, 32b, 2x4) batted intelligently.

The visitor, however, had rested its key pace bowler Shaun Tait and missed him in the end overs. The spinners, skipper Cameron White and Doherty, proved expensive and the Aussies could not peg back the Indian run-rate during the crucial middle overs.

Earlier, the impressive Mark Cameron beat Robin Uthappa for pace. The left-handed Jaydev Shah, batting with a mix of luck and pluck, miscued a pull off the same bowler.

Ravi Teja (33 off 40) harnessed the pace on the ball well. Skipper Suresh Raina, batting with flair and confidence, raced to a 47-ball 46 (4x4, 2x6) before being picked up at covers off an erratic Geeves.

Rohit Sharma, under pressure to perform, batted with freedom, easing into his drives and timing his strokes during his 58-ball 51 (4x4, 1x6); the right-hander eventually succumbed to a direct hit from ’keeper Luke Ronchi.

Predictably, the Aussies bounced at Yusuf Pathan, who met fire with fire, pulling Cameron and Ashley Noffke for sixes over mid-wicket.

Change of pace

Noffke’s change of pace, though, was not so predictable. Yusuf fell, rushing into a drive and spooning a catch to mid-off. Despite a 32-ball cameo (36, 2x4, 3x6), he walked back crestfallen. Chawla and Saha then finished the game off.

Opting to bat, the Australia ‘A’ think tank sent in its middle-order at the top of the order for spending more time in the middle.

The left-handed Marcus North, compact and efficient, struck the ball crisply during his 52-ball 40. Adam Voges, missed out, held at second slip off a Praveen Kumar delivery that shaped away.

David Hussey struck the ball with typical authority; a six over covers off Irfan Pathan screamed for attention. Hussey (74, 67b, 8x4, 2x6) and North added 96 off 97 balls for the second wicket on a pitch with a fair amount of carry. Chawla ended the partnership trapping North leg-before.

Hussey eventually swung across one from off-spinner Yusuf Pathan to see his stumps rearranged. Yusuf, bowling a tight line, was restrictive. Apart from Yusuf and Praveen Kumar, the Indian bowling lacked consistency.

Skipper White and George Baily contributed usefully. Young opener Phillips Hughes, enjoying his stint in the middle order, and Noffke put on 57 off 47 balls for the unbroken seventh wicket. These runs, eventually, were not enough.

The scores: Australia ‘A’: M. North lbw b Chawla 40, A. Voges c Raina b P. Kumar 5, D. Hussey b Y. Pathan 74, C. White c Saha b Rohit 30, G. Baily c Kulkarni b Praveen 36, P. Hughes (not out) 49, L. Ronchi c Uthappa b Chawla 0, A. Noffke (not out) 33; Extras: (b-2, w-3) 5; Total: (for six wkts in 50 overs) 272.

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-103, 3-127, 4-168, 5-213, 6-215.

India ‘A’ bowling: Irfan 10-0-66-0, Praveen 10-1-43-2, Kulkarni 4-0-28-0, Chawla 10-0-62-2, Yousuf 10-0-38-1, Teja 3-0-17-0, Rohit 3-1-16-1.

India ‘A’: J. Shah c Hughes b M. Cameron 26, R. Uthappa b Cameron 7, R. Teja c Voges b Doherty 33, S. Raina c Hussey b Geeves 46, Rohit (run out) 51, Yousuf c Hussey b Noffke 36, W. Saha (not out) 25, Irfan (run out) 14, Chawla (not out) 25; Extras: (lb-3, nb-2, w-9) 14; Total (for seven wkts in 46 overs) 277.

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-58, 3-70, 4-155, 5-187, 6-214, 7-240.

Australia ‘A’ bowling: Geeves 9-0-61-1, M. Cameron 9-0-43-2, Noffke 9-0-54-1, Doherty 5-0-46-1, White 7-0-43-0, Hussey 7-0-27-0.