Visakhapatnam: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today praised the batting department for scripting a five-wicket win over Australia in the second ODI, which also helped the hosts take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
"Yuvraj (Singh) and (Virat) Kohli got us back in the game and (Suresh) Raina supported Kohli well in the end. We wanted to see how much dew was around, I thought the spinners would get more turn but it turned out to be much flatter.
"(Cameron) White took the attack apart, but with Suresh Raina at the crease with one Powerplay to go I knew we had a chance. And Yuvraj, it was very important for him to get runs," Dhoni said after the match.
Kohli smashed a career-best 118, while Raina's 71 not out and Yuvraj's 58 also played crucial role.
"Kohli has been often criticised for giving away good starts and he batted perfectly today. We'll look to win the third game as well. We have eight to 10 games before the World Cup and we want to achieve more than just winning the games," he added.
Dhoni's opposite number Michael Clarke also credited the Indian batsmen for making the difference.
"Cameron White's innings was unbelievable, I thought 290 was enough but India chased well. We'll try to rebuild. We are disappointed with the result. We'll try to do better in the first 15 overs in the second game," he said.
However, he was happy with the efforts of his bowlers and said, "John Hastings did a fantastic job, (Mitchell) Starc has a bright future for Australia."
Meanwhile, Man of the Match Kohli said he was struggling with his cramp during the winning effort.
"I was struggling with cramps in my 70s and 80s. I just wanted to drag the game as much as I could to put my team in a winning position. (Murali) Vijay suggested that I just time the ball than hit it too hard. He helped calm me down.
"With Yuvraj batting at the other end, it's always helpful because he can score quickly and take the pressure off you. We just decided to build a partnership and bank on the Powerplay," he said.
Asked about batting at number three position, he said, "The team has shown trust in me to bat at No 3 and I'll just look to capitalise. Once the dew came in, the ball was coming on quite nicely and we tried to take advantage on that."
Virat Kohli smashed a career-best 118 as India relied on their young batting brigade to clinch a comfortable five-wicket win against Australia in a high-scoring second cricket one-dayer here.
Chasing a stiff target of 290, the young Kohli made full use of the opportunity to notch up his third ODI century, while Suresh Raina (71 n.o. off 47 balls) provided the finishing spark as the hosts romped home with seven balls to spare and took an unassailable 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The first match of the series was washed out without a single ball being bowled in Kochi.
The Australians were well served by their captain Michael Clarke, who signalled his return to form with an unbeaten 111, while Cameron White (89 n.o.) and Michael Hussey (69) were the other notable performers for the depleted visitors.
But their efforts turned out to be for a lost cause as the Indians capitalised on a good batting track at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium to clinch the game and marked Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 50th match as captain. Both the teams now travel to Margao for the third and final match on October 24. Replying to the target, India had a wobbly start when both the openers were dismissed early by Clint McKay.
Debutant Shikhar Dhawan had a forgettable outing as the southpaw was dismissed for a duck in the very second ball he faced.
In-form Murali Vijay (15) looked good before edging one to the wicketkeeper Paine to leave India reeling for 35 for two with McKay taking both the wickets.
But Yuvraj Singh (58 off 87 balls) and Kohli (11X4, 1x6) kept India's hopes alive as the duo repaired the damage in a style similar to that of Clarke and Hussey for the Aussies.
Yuvraj, who made a return to the side after being overlooked for the Test series, also looked good as he helped Kohli in setting the tone.
The stylish Punjab batsman survived some anxious moments but went on to score his half-century and appeared to be a relieved man.
Kohli developed cramps but the Delhi youngster maintained his run flow aided by Shikhar Dhawan as his runner.
Yuvraj, meanwhile, departed for after being deceived by a McKay slower as the third wicket stand yielded 137.
Raina, who cracked nine fours and a six, played a crucial knock after Yuvraj's departure as he took the pressure off Kohli with some big hits all over the ground.
The duo added 84 runs for the fourth wicket to take India closer home before Kohli departed for his best one-day score.
There was a little drama in store after Kohli's dismissal with skipper Dhoni (0) departing in quick succession but Raina ensured that India did not falter.
Raina, along with another debutant Saurabh Tiwary (12 n.o.), clinched the issue to keep an all-win record intact from three ODIs at the scenic venue in the coastal city.
Earlier Michael Clarke returned to form with his fifth century to help Australia post a challenging 289 for three.
Cameron White (89) also remained unbeaten while Mike Hussey made 69 at the Y.S. Rajsekhara Reddy Cricket Stadium.
Ashish Nehra removed openers Shaun Marsh (0) and Tim Paine (9) with just 16 runs on board, but Clarke and Hussey steadied the ship putting on 144 runs together.
Clarke hit seven four and a six in his 139-ball knock and Hussey had seven fours in his 77-ball stay. The duo never panicked and punished the bad deliveries to rebuild the innings.
Spinner R. Ashwin removed Hussey by trapping him leg before in the 37th over.
Clarke and vice-captain White then smashed the Indian bowlers all over the park as Australia scored 114 runs in the last 10 overs.
White's 89 came off 49 balls and included six fours and six overboundaries and his powerful hitting helped Australia score 49 runs in the five overs of batting powerplay between 43rd and 47th overs.
Nehra, who had impressive figures of 4-1-3-2 in his first spell, had to suffer at the hands of both White and Clarke, who were in a rampaging mood in the closing stages of the match. Nehra conceded 54 runs in his last six overs and returned with 57 runs from his 10 overs.
Source: Agencies
