Rohit, Kohli, Dhawan stun Australia with incredible batting JAIPUR: Champions produce their best when cornered. It was India's turn to hit their way out of the royal mess they had bowled themselves into. After being pilloried by the Australian batsmen, they bulldozed their bowlers in a sensational chase, the second highest in the history of 50-over games. Just once had a total of 350-plus been dwarfed before Wednesday's wonder.
Every foreseeable factor pointed to a landslide Australian victory after they had cantered to 359 for five. India had never made above 300 batting second to beat Australia, but what was expected to be runs and ruins turned out to be runs and more runs.
The steep climb began in right earnest before a mid-innings explosion reduced the last few overs to a stroll. If the volume of runs overtaken was stunning, the utter domination of the Indian batsmen was incredible. Winning with nine wickets and 39 balls to spare after going for that many was perhaps the most amazing part of the story.
Nobody anticipated what they were about to see when Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma walked into the middle. There was a healthy dose of boundaries from both ends in the first 10 overs and most importantly, India had not lost wickets. Still, 291 more off 40 overs meant it was a matter of a couple of wickets and a few tight overs before the bubble would burst.
News Posted: 17 October, 2013
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