India v Australia, 2013-14
Wisden's review of the sixth ODI, India v Australia, 2013-14
15-Apr-2014
At Nagpur, October 30, 2013 (day/night). India won by six wickets. Toss: India.
India had never chased down 350 before this series, but now pulled off the feat for the second time in a fortnight to level things at 2-2. The same three batsmen did the job - again with barely a slog in sight. Dhoni surprisingly chose to field and, after the openers fell cheaply, Watson and Bailey found the spinners tough going. Yet the conditions were so stacked in the batsmen's favour that a rush of 261 from the last 28 overs came as no real surprise. Having reached 85 three times already in the series without making three figures, Bailey surged to 156 in 114 balls - the second-highest one-day score by an Australian captain, after Ricky Ponting's 164 in the famous Johannesburg match in 2005-06. Jadeja cost himself two wickets, overstepping before Watson and Voges both spooned up catches. Mohammed Shami was also no-balled because Raina, fielding at silly mid-on, had his left foot on the wicket at the point of delivery. But Australia faltered too, and Dhawan was dropped again, this time on 19 as Maxwell put down a comfortable chance at point. The miss cost Australia dear, as he and Rohit Sharma piled up 178. Kohli made 40 of a 56-run stand with Dhawan - who suffered from cramp as he neared his hundred - before becoming the first batsman to achieve five consecutive fifties on two separate occasions. Dhoni instructed Kohli to hold back an outright assault until Johnson had finished his allocation and, as if made to order, the pair pummelled the required 35 off the last three overs. For only the second time in one-day internationals, four batsmen made hundreds in the same game, following Ijaz Ahmed, Yousuf Youhana, Adam Gilchrist and Ponting in a match between Pakistan and Australia at Lahore in 1998-99.
Man of the Match: V. Kohli.
India had never chased down 350 before this series, but now pulled off the feat for the second time in a fortnight to level things at 2-2. The same three batsmen did the job - again with barely a slog in sight. Dhoni surprisingly chose to field and, after the openers fell cheaply, Watson and Bailey found the spinners tough going. Yet the conditions were so stacked in the batsmen's favour that a rush of 261 from the last 28 overs came as no real surprise. Having reached 85 three times already in the series without making three figures, Bailey surged to 156 in 114 balls - the second-highest one-day score by an Australian captain, after Ricky Ponting's 164 in the famous Johannesburg match in 2005-06. Jadeja cost himself two wickets, overstepping before Watson and Voges both spooned up catches. Mohammed Shami was also no-balled because Raina, fielding at silly mid-on, had his left foot on the wicket at the point of delivery. But Australia faltered too, and Dhawan was dropped again, this time on 19 as Maxwell put down a comfortable chance at point. The miss cost Australia dear, as he and Rohit Sharma piled up 178. Kohli made 40 of a 56-run stand with Dhawan - who suffered from cramp as he neared his hundred - before becoming the first batsman to achieve five consecutive fifties on two separate occasions. Dhoni instructed Kohli to hold back an outright assault until Johnson had finished his allocation and, as if made to order, the pair pummelled the required 35 off the last three overs. For only the second time in one-day internationals, four batsmen made hundreds in the same game, following Ijaz Ahmed, Yousuf Youhana, Adam Gilchrist and Ponting in a match between Pakistan and Australia at Lahore in 1998-99.
Man of the Match: V. Kohli.