Nehra helps India bowl out Australia for 250 in ODI
India fielded and bowled with gusto to restrict Australia to 250 all out in 49.2 overs in the fourth one-day international here on Monday.
Left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra picked 3-37 and also ran out top-scorer Cameron White (62) after India won the toss and sent Australia in to bat in the day-night encounter at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium.
A disciplined effort in the field by the generally sluggish Indians resulted in four run-outs and contained the world champions to what looked like a below-par total on a good batting track.
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was back among the wickets after an indifferent show in the previous three games of this seven-match series, picking 2-48 off his 10 overs.
Australia started off well but stumbled in the final overs, losing their last six wickets for 54 runs.
White, 26, hit three fours and a six in his 71-ball knock to steady the middle order after captain Ricky Ponting (52) had scored his third half-century of the series.
Ponting also shared a 64-run stand for the second wicket with Shane Watson (49) after the early dismissal of opener Shaun Marsh (five).
Ponting hit five fours and a six in his 59-ball knock for his 73rd half-century in one-day internationals while Michael Hussey chipped in with a fine 40 off 41 balls.
The Australian skipper lost his wicket to a direct throw from Ravindra Jadeja while Graham Manou (seven) was run out by Praveen Kumar.
Watson and Ponting helped Australia regroup after the cheap dismissal of Marsh, trapped leg-before by Nehra in the eighth over.
Watson was unlucky to miss out on his 10th half-century, being caught behind off Harbhajan for a 52-ball 49 containing six fours.
India left out the injured Gautam Gambhir while Australia brought in Marsh in place of all-rounder Adam Voges.
India need to average 5.02 runs an over if they are to go 3-1 up in the series and overtake Australia as the top-ranked team in one-day internationals.
SCOREBOARD
Australia:
S. Watson c Dhoni b Harbhajan 49 S. Marsh lbw b Nehra 5 R. Ponting run out 52 M. Hussey c Sharma b Yuvraj 40 C. White run out 62 M. Henriques st Dhoni b Harbhajan 6 M. Johnson b Nehra 8 G. Manou run out 7 N. Hauritz not out 9 P. Siddle c Jadeja b Nehra 1 D. Bollinger run out 0 Extras: (lb1, nb1, w9) 11 Total (for all out in 49.2 overs) 250
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-88, 3-123, 4-196, 5-217, 6-226, 7-236, 8-241, 9-247, 10-250
Bowling:
Kumar 9.2-0-41-0 Nehra 8-0-37-3 Sharma 5-0-42-0 Jadeja 7-0-27-0 Harbhajan 10-0-48-2 Yuvraj 10-0-54-1
Toss: India
Umpires: Amish Saheba (IND) and Asoka De Silva (SRI)
TV umpire: Sanjay Hazare (IND)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
