Australia beat India by six wickets, win series (Second Lead)

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GUWAHATI - Indian batsmen failed to read a tricky track and gifted Australia a six-wicket victory in the sixth One-day International and with it a 4-2 series win here Sunday.

Australian batsmen, chasing a small target of 171, showed enough skills in negotiating the slow track and made 172 for four in 41.5 overs at the Nehru Stadium and wrapped up the series with still one match remaining.

It was a great effort from the Australian team in the series where they have struggled with injuries and lost five players during the first four matches. For India it was their first bilateral series loss since their 2007 ODI series loss to Australia at home.

Right throughout the series Australia have showed enough character whenever they were up against the odds. On Sunday, they never showed any complacency even while chasing a small target and opener Shane Watson (49) played a steady knock while Mike Hussey made a composed 35 not out as Australia romped home with 49 balls to spare.

But the star of the day was left-arm pacer Doug Bollinger, who with his maiden five-wicket haul (5-35) rocked the Indian batting that folded up for 170 runs in 48 overs.

Defending the small target wasn’t an easy task and Munaf Patel trapped Shaun Marsh leg before the wicket in the fifth over to give India a glimmer of hope. But a 61-run second-wicket stand between Watson and skipper Ricky Ponting (25) spoiled India’s chances.

Watson’s run-a-ball 49 was laced with 10 fours while Ponting played patiently during his 57-ball stay.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni used as many as nine bowlers and it was offie Harbhajan Singh, who scared the visitors by picking up both Watson and Ponting in two overs to reduce Australia to 90 for three. Cameron White (25), Hussey and Adam Voges (23 not out) then took their own sweet time to see Australia home.

Earlier in the day, Dhoni’s decision to bat first back-fired after the top-order failed to negotiate the new ball and they lost seven wickets for just 75 runs by the 31st over.

But Ravindra Jadeja (57) and Praveen Kumar (54 not out) hit defiant half-centuries to pull India out from a disastrous 27 for five to 170 all out in 48 overs. Jadeja and Praveen with their 74-run eighth-wicket stand gave the bowlers some target to bowl at.

The duo showed resilience and played contrasting knocks to give some respectability to the innings. Jadeja was calm and composed during his 103-ball innings, hitting six fours, while Praveen went into the attacking mode and smashed seven fours and a six during his 51-ball knock.

Left-arm fast bowler Bollinger, who is having a good run in the series, wrecked the batting and Mitchell Jonhson, after missing the last match at Hyderabad, came back strongly with his three for 39.

Despite being smashed by Virender Sehwag (6) for a six in his second delivery, Johnson rattled the stumps of both Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in three deliveries in the first over.

India kept losing wickets at regular intervals and Sachin Tendulkar (10), Yuvraj Singh (6) and Dhoni (24) failed to play an innings that could have saved them the blushes in the must-win match.