Chawla helps India defeat Australia in World Cup warm-up game
Leg-spinner Piyush Chawla triggered a dramatic batting collapse as India swept to an impressive 38-run victory over Australia in a World Cup warm-up game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on Sunday.
Chawla ripped through the Australian middle order with 4-31 after Ricky Ponting’s side had looked on course for a comfortable win. Experienced off-spinner Harbhajan Singh chipped in with 3-15 as Australia was bowled out for only 176 in 37.5 overs in reply to India’s 214.
In the closing stages, it was the differing strengths of the tailenders in the two teams that proved decisive. India managed to recover from being in real touble at 138-8, while Australia could only add one more run to its 175-8 before being dismissed.
Chawla shone on a pitch that helped the ball turn as the match progressed.
The leg-spinner bowled Michael Clarke for nought with a low ball that was played on. He then removed Cameron White for four and David Hussey without scoring off successive deliveries to put the Australians under pressure.
Chawla also had Callum Ferguson caught by Virat Kohli at slip for eight after the batsman had only just survived in similar circumstances minutes earlier.
Australia, which was cruising at 118-1 in the 22nd over, was soon on the ropes at 148-6. Ravichandran Ashwin provided good support and Harbhajan completed the rout with three wickets including that of Ponting.
The Australia skipper, who had a heated exchange with pace bowler Shantakumaran Sreesanth while batting, held the innings together with a knock of 57 off 85 balls but was stumped at a crucial moment to leave his side on 176-7.
“It is tough to play quality spinners on a pitch helping them,” Ponting said. “But I am happy to be among the runs after missing the recent one-day series against England due to a finger injury.”
Shane Watson provided the early spark to the Aussies with a 26-ball 33 in which he hit seven fours. He was caught by Chawla off Sreesanth while trying to clear mid-off.
Fellow opener Tim Paine played a watchful 57-ball knock of 37 before he was caught by Munaf Patel at the deep mid-wicket fence while trying to clobber a delivery from Yuvraj Singh.
Apart from Ponting, Watson and Paine, it was a disappointing showing by Australia at the crease, with six players managing only to add a combined total of 14 runs between them.
Earlier, Brett Lee finished with 3-35 after useful strikes by other seamers, as India was dismissed for 214 in 44.3 overs.
India, which elected to bat, decided not to use Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan in a match in which all 15 players of the squad could be played with a maximum of 11 allowed to bat.
Opener Virender Sehwag top-scored with 54, the only batsman from the top half of the Indian order to give a good account of himself.
He struck out early and reached his half-century with a huge six to Jason Krejza to move from 48 to 54. But he was out the very next delivery from the off-spinner as he tried a cut shot. Sehwag struck eight fours and that six, but his dismissal at 113-5 looked to have broken India’s back.
His fellow opener Gautam Gambhir had earlier been caught by White off left-arm seamer Doug Bollinger for just six while Kohli was looking well set when he played an uppish drive to Hussey at point off John Hastings and was out for 21.
Left-hander Yuvraj failed to judge the bounce of a short delivery from Mitchell Johnson that reared off and was caught by wicketkeeper Paine for just one run, while captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was bowled by Hastings for 11.
Suresh Raina, widely tipped to miss out on the starting XI at the World Cup, failed to impress in his 16-ball 12, edging a delivery from Lee to Paine immediately after Sehwag’s departure.
Lee also came back to dismiss Harbhajan and Chawla in successive overs as India struggled at 138-8 before Yusuf Pathan and Ashwin fought a determined rearguard action.
Pathan, who was dropped by Watson at slip off Johnson when on 13, survived the incisive seam attack and then smashed two sixes off Hussey before holing out in the deep in the same over for 32 off 38 balls.
Ashwin scored an unbeaten 25 off 47 while last-man Ashish Nehra managed 19 useful runs.
“I don’t think too much should be seen into the match because this is after all a practice game,” Dhoni said. “But we are happy that our spinners bowled so well, especially Chawla.”
Sunday’s contest was the first practice game for either side. Australia next plays South Africa in a warm-up fixture here on Tuesday while India takes on New Zealand at Chennai on Wednesday.
The World Cup begins with a game between India and Bangladesh at Dhaka on Feb.
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