The 5th match of the series had all the ingredients for a special contest. Australia had come back into the series at Mohali, and with the series poised perfectly at 2-2, were desperate to prove they were no pushovers, despite difficult conditions in India and the barrage of fitness problems in their squad. India, on the other hand, stung by the defeat in the last game, were looking to capitalize on depleted Aussie reserves and take a critical, if not decisive, lead in the 7-match series. On a personal note, there was the added interest of whether Sachin Tendulkar could complete 17,000 runs in ODI cricket. Besides, perfect batting conditions on a wicket more favorable to pace than spin ensured that the match wouldn’t be as drab as it had been in the 3rd match at Delhi. All these and much more made for a perfect script, as the two teams descended on Hyderabad to resolve their deadlock.
Australia batted first, and batted like they had never done in this whole series…an aggressive century partnership gave them the perfect platform to really launch into the Indian attack in the later overs. And launch they did! In style. 13 sixes in the innings and79 runs in the last 7 overs saw their total climb to a mammoth 350 in 50 overs, more than India have ever chased successfully in ODIs. It was exciting to watch the Aussie batsmen finally make a big statement. Shane Watson’s 93 set the tone; the way he batted in the afternoon, Watson however, wouldn't have known then he'd later be bowling the last over to save Australia.
If the first 50 overs were exciting, it was nothing close to the Indian run-chase. Everyone watching knew the daunting task ahead of the batsmen, yet was hoping for a special performance. And who better than Tendulkar himself? He started scratchily, as the series so far, has been for him, reached the milestone of 17000 runs and then shifted gears seamlessly. Sehwag got out for 38 in the 8th over, but by then, Tendulkar had settled in and was well on his way to playing another of his gems. He kept the pace up, playing a wide array of shots all-round the wicket, while taking no undue risks, but was left seeking support from the other end. A flurry of wickets- Gambhir, Yuvraj and Dhoni all went for single-digit scores – left Tendulkar an improbable task to achieve on his own.
While the chase seemed to be slipping away from India, Tendulkar had already played a masterpiece. He finally found an able partner in Raina, and together, the two of them set about the task of resurrecting India’s fortunes. Some brilliant stroke play and Tendulkar’s 45th ODI century in the process brought the required rate down acutely, and India’s chances started looking surer as the Australians started to fumble a little. Even without Powerplay, India brought it down to 52 of the last eight overs. Had it been any other team, though, they would have given up long ago, and would have just stood and admired Tendulkar's work. The dogged Aussies, though, had other ideas. With the scales tilted heavily against them, relentless, as they are always, they clawed back; Watson( their superman, it seems!!) took out Raina and Harbhajan in one over, and that again balanced the scales.
Tendulkar’s presence at the crease still gave India the greater chance, though. He and Ravindra Jadeja added 32 for seventh wicket, and with Powerplay going on it seemed a matter of Tendulkar's staying there till the end. On came Clint McKay, debutant from Victoria, to bowl the 48th over with just 19 required. Tendulkar went to clear short fine leg off a slower delivery, but found Hauritz. It was all over. Jadeja ran himself out senselessly, Nehra holed out to long-on, and Australia were let to get their foot in. For a while, with Praveen Kumar hitting a six over long-off, and then taking sensible singles, it seemed victory was still possible, when needing 5 runs from 3 balls, Praveen was run out in the final over, to hand Australia the victory by 3 runs.
For Sachin Tendulkar, it was heart-break yet again; he seemed to have done everything possible but didn't last the final lap. He won the man of the match award alright ( 175 runs from 141 balls), but that cannot be anything more than mere consolation, as Australia go ahead in the series.
I congratulate Australia; a team battered with injuries has hung on for a memorable win. While reading certain post-match reviews, I found a nice quote, which sort offits here. Sixty one years ago, at the end of a tour of England by Don Bradman's famous pack, John Arlott put it thus: "Australianism," wrote Arlott, "means single-minded determination to win - to win within the laws but, if necessary, to the last limit within them. It means where the 'impossible' is within the realm of what the human body can do, there are Australians who believe that they can do it - and who have succeeded often enough to make us wonder if anything is impossible to them. It means they have never lost a match - particularly a Test match - until the last run is scored or their last wicket down."
Today’s match, with all its twists and turns, seemed to echo just that !
