India finally draft 'victory' into their cricketing dictionary

Finally India have managed to win a game in any format abroad, breaking a 16-game win-less drought, out of India. The win at MCG was powered by some exceptional ground fielding & catching, which was obsolete so far in the series. India looked at their electrifying best on the field, helped by some tidy bowling by the Kumars, Jadeja & Ashwin. Gambhir's 50 lifted the batting morale, ably supported by good starts from Sehwag & Kohli. Eventually M.S.Dhoni combined with Gambhir to score the winning runs off the last over, winning the game by 8 wickets.

Earlier, George Bailey won the toss & Elected to bat in front of a massive crowd filling 70,000 seats. The pitch did not have any demons, as the Australian openers had a brisk start. Warner pulled hesitantly to scoop the ball high in the air, which was superbly held by Gambhir, running backwards at the square leg boundary. In the same over, Marsh registered his 8th duck in his last 11 innings, edging one to the slip. Sehwag who dived forward to catch the ball wasn't able to hold onto to it, thereby tapping it in the air, which was cleanly collected by keeper M.S.Dhoni. Finch & Hussey put up a decent partnership, before a piece of fielding brilliance from Jadeja at point, claimed the in-form Finch. Soon, Captain Bailey was consumed by yet another sparkling fielding display by Rohit & Jadeja, trying for a non existent single. Australia were tottering at 53/4 in the middle of the 9th over.

 Hussey & Wade tried to steady the ship, but Jadeja once again came into action, accepting a neat caught & bowled opportunity from Hussey. With the next 4 overs costing only 20 runs, the slow bowlers were bowling a nagging line, not letting the batsman play freely. Rohit Sharma was given the ball & mitchell marsh was removed with immediate effect. Thanks to some quick-fire brilliance by Dhoni behind the wickets. Another display of fielding spectacle followed, this time by Rohit Sharma, who scored a direct hit at the non-strikers end, removing a dangerous Wade. After that it was a procession of the tail-enders, with Australia eventually bowled out for 131 with 2 more balls to spare to complete 20 overs. 

This was the best opportunity for India to claim their first victory in a so far frustrating & humiliating series. The openers finally did give India a very solid start. They knew the target and had a certain plan in mind to go about it. All the plans did fall in place, with Sehwag scoring the biggest 6 so far in the series which went a long way into the stands, 104 meters. Just when Sehwag got a start, he yet again fell to a full toss, mistiming it to the cover fielder, off the left handed chinaman, B.Hogg. Man-in-form, Kohli walked in & combined well with Gambhir, to motor a 54 run partnership. Gambhir at the other end, showed glimpses of the GG that the world knew. There was never pressure in the chase, which made Gambhir play his natural game & he particularly played the inside-out chip shot over the covers with much aplomb.       

Kohli, after getting a start departed to a ripper from Mitchell marsh which was well gathered by keeper Wade. India then needed 35 runs of 38 balls, when captain M.S.Dhoni decided to promote himself up the order. The last time he did that, India won the World cup. Though the magnitude of the series was much lesser, they were playing salvage more pride than the world cup. Dhoni continued his form of the last game into this one, making sure there were no hiccups in chasing this moderate total. Gambhir brought up his 50, a point that will be taken into notice just ahead of the ODI series. He would be a much relieved person after getting some runs behind his name. Though the game should have been won in the penultimate over, the 3 dot balls in the final over, did send a small jitter among the Indian fans. Eventually, Gambhir fittingly scored the winning runs with a boundary through the mid wicket region. 

Australia'a batting performance was below par for a change in this match & the Indian bowling strangled them for runs. Hussey, Wade & Finch were the bright spots, taking them to a respectable 131, though it wasnt enough. The Aussie bowlers couldn't do much with a low score to defend & neither were they able to create the pressure.

The man-of-the-match award given to Jadeja clearly indicated that the fielding & bowling departments won India the game. With 4 superb run outs & 1 brilliant stumping, India looked an altogether different side from the team we've seen in the last 1 month. The throws were crisp & every time resulted in a wicket. Jadeja's performance was key with 2 terrific run outs & a superb caught & bowled. The bowling too was precise , with stump to stump bowling, not letting the Australians off the hook, which has been the trend so far in the series. The massiveness of MCG demanded both, powerful shots & as well as tireless running between the wickets. The running was superb by Kohli & Gambhir, knocking the balls in between the gaps. The conversion rate stood out.

Altogether it was a cohesive unit which has taken India to their first victory of the tour. A much needed victory, which has come at the right time, just before the tri-series started.