Kohli rules, Dhoni rocks

Adelaide, January 15

MS Dhoni pulled off a tight finish for India just like old times to silence his critics after captain Virat Kohli laid the foundation for a series-levelling win against Australia with his 39th ODI hundred here today. Chase-master Kohli could not take his team to the finishing line this time but Dhoni (55 off 54 balls) and Dinesh Karthik (25 off 14) rose to the occasion with an unbeaten 57-run stand off 34 balls. Chasing 299 to win, India got there with the loss of four wickets, with four balls to spare.

Man of the Match Kohli was dismissed in the 44th over after making 104 off 112 balls, and India then needed 57 off the remaining 38 balls. Dhoni, who has been copping a lot of criticism for his waning finishing skills, turned back the clock and took India past the finish line with a final-over six.

India had got off to a frenetic start with Shikhar Dhawan hitting five boundaries in his 28-ball 32. Dhawan added 47 runs for the opening wicket with Rohit Sharma (43). Rohit then added 54 runs with Kohli for the second wicket as India crossed 100 in the 18th over. But just when things were going smoothly, he mis-hit a pull off Marcus Stoinis (1/46) and was caught in the deep.

Ambati Rayudu (24) added 59 runs with Kohli for the third wicket, but it was plainly obvious that the No. 4 was struggling for timing. Kohli, though, was in cruise mode, rotating the strike and picking the odd boundary with ease as he reached his 50 off 66 balls. But Rayudu perished when he tried to attack the bowling, caught in the deep off Glenn Maxwell in the 31st over.

Kohli-Dhoni

Dhoni joined Kohli and the duo put on 82 runs for the fourth wicket, with astute rotation of the strike, as India crossed 200 in the 37th over to keep pace with the asking rate. Kohli changed gears as he hit two immaculate sixes with pure timing, reaching his hundred off 108 balls. It was his sixth ODI hundred against Australia. In the 44th over, Australia masterminded Kohli's dismissal through some clever field placement in the deep, and he holed out to Maxwell off Jhye Richardson.

Dhoni then took over and put on a match-winning partnership with Karthik, who was the more aggressive of the two. Dhoni completed his second consecutive half-century with a six in the final over.

Marsh ton

Earlier, Shaun Marsh scored his seventh ODI hundred to take Australia to a challenging total. Marsh arrived at the crease at 26/2 and scored 131 runs, adding 94 runs off 65 balls with Glenn Maxwell (48 off 37 balls). Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/45) and Mohammed Shami (3/58) left their mark with the new ball and didn't let the Australian openers get away quickly. Kumar bowled Aaron Finch (6) through the gate in the seventh over, while Alex Carey (18) looked set before getting out two overs later, off a Shami bouncer.

It brought Marsh and Usman Khawaja (21) together, and they put on 56 runs off 65 balls. Their partnership threatened to take the game away from India, but Ravindra Jadeja effected a brilliant run-out in the 19th over to dismiss Khawaja with a direct throw.  Marsh was able to manoeuvre the middle overs very well and the Indian bowlers suffered. Mohammed Siraj (0/76) was expensive, and India were forced to bowl Kuldeep Yadav (0/66) and Jadeja (1/49) earlier than planned. Even Shami came back for a spell before the 25th over as the lack of a sixth bowling option started to show.

Maxwell hit five fours and a six as Australia accelerated after reaching 200 in the 39th over. Marsh, meanwhile, had reached his hundred off 108 balls.

Bhuvneshwar returned to account for both Maxwell and Marsh in the 48th over and it dented the momentum as Australia lost wickets in a flurry. — PTI

---

Langer praises chase master Kohli, says his balance unbelievable 

Adelaide: Australia coach Justin Langer compared Virat Kohli with Sachin Tendulkar and said the Indian captain's balance while playing 360 degree shots in all formats of the game is “unbelievable”.  “I would like to have them both in my team. Sachin was an incredible cricketer. I used to watch him and it was like he was meditating. He was so calm and that's why his record is peerless,” said Langer.  “Virat is doing the same thing. He is so calm and so competitive, and technically his balance is unbelievable. For him to play 360-degree shots in all formats of the game, his balance is unbelievable.”   

“Sachin and Virat, and MS Dhoni, who averages 50-plus in 340 games, they are all-time great players and our guys are in the best seats at the moment, playing some of the best all-time great ODI players and they will be better from the experience,” Langer added. — PTI

Scoreboard

Australia

• A Carey c Dhawan b Shami 18
• A Finch b Bhuvneshwar 6
• U Khawaja run out 21
• S Marsh c Jadeja b Bhuvneshwar 131
• P Handscomb st Dhoni b Jadeja 20
• M Stoinis c Dhoni b Shami 29
• G Maxwell c Karthik b Bhuvneshwar 48
• J Richardson c Dhawan b Shami 2
• N Lyon not out 12
• P Siddle c Kohli b Bhuvneshwar 0
• J Behrendorff not out 1
• Extras: (B-4, W-6) 10
• Total: (9 wickets, 50 overs) 298
• FoW: 1-20, 2-26, 3-82, 4-134, 5-189, 6-283, 7-283, 8-286, 9-286

Bowling

• Bhuvneshwar Kumar 10-0-45-4
• Mohammed Shami 10-0-58-3
• Mohammed Siraj 10-0-76-0
• Kuldeep Yadav 10-0-66-0
• Ravindra Jadeja 10-1-49-1

India

• R Sharma c Handscomb b Stoinis 43
• S Dhawan c Khawaja b Behrendorff 32
• V Kohli c Maxwell b Richardson 104
• A Rayudu c Stoinis b Maxwell 24
• MS Dhoni not out 55
• D Karthik not out 25
• Extras: (LB- 9, W-7) 16
• Total: (4 wickets, 49.2 overs) 299
• FoW: 1-47, 2-101, 3-160, 4-242

Bowling

• Jason Behrendorff 8.2-1-52-1
• Jhye Richardson 10-0-59-1
• Peter Siddle 8-0-58-0
• Nathan Lyon 10-0-59-0
• Marcus Stoinis 9-0-46-1
• Glenn Maxwell 4-0-16-1
• Man of the Match: Virat Kohli