Rain squashes India's hopes

The fourth ODI match has been unfortunately abandoned ending the hopes of our Indian cricket team who were vying for a victory to level the series. At the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi chasing a stiff target of 296 for victory, India was on 27 for no loss in 4.1 overs when rain halted the play.

The Australian team came into the match with an unchanged squad while India made two prominent changes in which one of them evident and while the other one was a bit tricky. The Indian skipper MS Dhoni brought Shami Ahmed who was just 12 matches old and the other one was none other than Jaydev Unaked in places of the lanky seamer Ishant Sharma and rookie starter Bhuvneshwar Kumar. 

Shami’s inswinger sent back the inform Aaron Finch who was expected to burst and Philip Hughes followed him as he was surprised by a yet another swinging delivery on outside off. In turn, Shami would have turned the table down if he had taken the Australian skipper George Bailey when he was yet to score any run but it was all due to Virat Kohli’s unnecessary intervention in the slips.

When the rain initially interrupted the game, Shane Watson and George Bailey were on the crease but after the rain died out, Shami came once again to clean up Watson who had no answer to the delivery breezed past the blade of the batsman making the batsman to make a terrible mistake.

Unexpected seamer Vinay Kumar who was very much expensive in his first few overs came back strongly to deceive the Aussie captain with the short delivery which got a terrible edge on Bailey’s bat to make the door closed for his expected century as he was dismissed on 98 having faced 94 deliveries and along with Glenn Maxwell he formed a record fifth wicket partnership after the early departure of Adam Voges. India’s fielding in the match was yet another let down.   

After Haddin’s early dismissal off Jadeja, the tail followed and made few runs thus ending the innings at 295/8 off 50 overs.