The feet that moved fluently suddenly refused to do his bidding. Yet Virat Kohli tapped into hidden reserves of strength to brave past pain and pressure and helped India continue its winning streak against Australia.
Kohli's scintillating 118 (121b, 11x4, 1x6) coupled with Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina's adept supporting roles, set up India's five-wicket victory over Australia in the second ODI of the three-match series at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium here on Wednesday. After rains washed out the first game at Kochi, India now has an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series that will conclude at Margao on Sunday.
Good recovery
Chasing Australia's 289 for three in 50 overs, India needed a steady start but debutant Shikhar Dhawan froze against Clint McKay, who later scalped Murali Vijay. At 35 for two, Kohli and Yuvraj lent hope to the Indian dressing room where captain M.S. Dhoni paced nervously. The duo shared 137 runs for the third wicket off 152 balls and that laid the foundation for a productive pursuit.
Man-of-the-Match Kohli's early impetus was gleaned from a pull off debutant seamer Mitchell Starc and Yuvraj (58) strode into his element while flicking another debutant John Hastings over mid-wicket. The southpaw's confidence rubbed onto Kohli, who soon pulled and drove with élan and the two fashioned a partnership that was the right mix of industriousness and flair.
Yuvraj leant into his drive off debutant Starc and when Nathan Hauritz stepped in, the southpaw slog-swept the off-spinner. Kohli, meanwhile, moved back and forth at the crease, judging length to a nicety as his shots sped on the carpet. Kohli, who in the past had the propensity to fritter away starts, played his percentages well and watched Yuvraj lose his timber to McKay's slower delivery.
The 21-year old surged ahead despite cramps in his legs that forced him, at 81, to requisition a runner in Dhawan. The moment Kohli noticed that Raina (71 n.o.) was busy carving up James Hopes all over the park, the centurion opted to play second fiddle.
He came into his own again after notching up his third ODI hundred with a brace off Hastings and while the adrenaline throbbed, he clattered McKay past cover, down fine-leg and over mid-wicket. Kohli eventually perished with a tired shot but he had done his job and Raina lent the final touch with verve. India finished with 292 for five in 48.5 overs.
Leading from the front
Earlier, Australian skipper Michael Clarke put a fortnight of poor form firmly behind him after his unbeaten 111 (139b, 7x4, 1x6) helped his team post a challenging total. Clarke found allies in Michael Hussey (69) and Cameron White (89 n.o., 49b, 6x4, 6x6) and the trio helped Australia tide past the twin-blow of losing openers Shaun Marsh and Tim Paine after Dhoni opted to field.
Australia failed to breathe easy in the beginning as Ashish Nehra's first spell of 4-1-3-2 prised out Marsh and Paine. Clarke and Hussey then etched a third-wicket partnership that yielded 144 runs off 172 balls. Clarke remained alert to the single while Hussey punctured the inner ring before succumbing to economical off-spinner R. Ashwin.
White then walked in and spread mayhem through an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 129 runs off 81 deliveries with his skipper. White carted Nehra for four and inflicted agony on the seamers, especially Vinay Kumar.
Clarke too acquired an aggressive sheen and raced to his fifth ODI hundred, striking clean fours off Vinay.
The skipper then watched White dent Praveen Kumar with two sixes and wade into the innings' final over bowled by Vinay with three sixes and a four.
The damage proved minimal for the Indians on a night when Kohli prospered.
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