Australia were on course for a big total against India before heavy rain stopped play in their Champions Trophy match here on Monday.
Australia reached 234-4 in 42.4 overs after electing to bat in the day-night match on good batting track, with Michael Hussey (67), skipper Ricky Ponting (65) and Tim Paine (56) all making the most of a mediocre Indian attack.
Cameron White was batting on 35 and Callum Ferguson on two. Australia won their opening game against the West Indies, while India were beaten by Pakistan in their first match. Pakistan have won both of their matches. The top two sides advance to the semi-finals.
India, needing a win to keep alive their hopes of making it to the last-four, bowled inconsistently, failing to keep pressure on Paine, Ponting and Hussey. Australia lost an early wicket when Shane Watson pulled left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra to Harbhajan Singh at mid-wicket.
Ponting and Paine then steadied the innings with an 84-run stand for the second wicket, gathering runs comfortably against both pace and spin. Paine’s innings ended when he was caught by Harbhajan off leg-spinner Amit Mishra.
But there was no respite for India as Hussey and Ponting consolidated their team’s position with an 88-run partnership for the third wicket. Ponting was caught short of the crease while going for a second run, with Gautam Gambhir hitting the stumps from the deep at the non-striker’s end. He hit one six and four boundaries in his 88-ball knock.
Hussey fell in a bid to step up the run-rate, caught by Sachin Tendulkar at long-off off Sharma in the 41st over after hitting five fours in his 65-ball knock.
Australia reached 234-4 in 42.4 overs after electing to bat in the day-night match on good batting track, with Michael Hussey (67), skipper Ricky Ponting (65) and Tim Paine (56) all making the most of a mediocre Indian attack.
Cameron White was batting on 35 and Callum Ferguson on two. Australia won their opening game against the West Indies, while India were beaten by Pakistan in their first match. Pakistan have won both of their matches. The top two sides advance to the semi-finals.
India, needing a win to keep alive their hopes of making it to the last-four, bowled inconsistently, failing to keep pressure on Paine, Ponting and Hussey. Australia lost an early wicket when Shane Watson pulled left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra to Harbhajan Singh at mid-wicket.
Ponting and Paine then steadied the innings with an 84-run stand for the second wicket, gathering runs comfortably against both pace and spin. Paine’s innings ended when he was caught by Harbhajan off leg-spinner Amit Mishra.
But there was no respite for India as Hussey and Ponting consolidated their team’s position with an 88-run partnership for the third wicket. Ponting was caught short of the crease while going for a second run, with Gautam Gambhir hitting the stumps from the deep at the non-striker’s end. He hit one six and four boundaries in his 88-ball knock.
Hussey fell in a bid to step up the run-rate, caught by Sachin Tendulkar at long-off off Sharma in the 41st over after hitting five fours in his 65-ball knock.
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