Win No 500 helps India double lead

NAGPUR: In a see-saw battle that went the distance, India pipped Australia by eight runs, with Vijay Shankar emerging an unlikely hero with the ball in the final over. The crowd at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium were treated to a nail-biter which at one stage looked like going the visitors’ way.

With the victory, India kept their 100 per cent win record against the Kangaroos at the venue intact. They also became the second team after Australia to record 500 ODI wins. The Men in Blue now lead the five-match series 2-0.

Chasing 251 on a slow surface was not going to be easy. But the out-of-form Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja set the tone up front, stitching together 83 for the opening wicket. The rest of the batsmen kept stitching together partnerships at crucial junctures. Led by Marcus Stoinis (52), they were almost at the finishing line. The Aussies had played carefully, not taking too many risks and keeping the asking rate below 7. But the 46th over, bowled by death-over specialist Jasprit Bumrah, saw two wickets and the momentum shifted.

With Stoinis still there at the crease and needing 11 ru­ns in the last over, it seemed Vi­­rat Kohli had made an err­or in judgement as he gave the ball to Vijay. The all-ro­u­nder had gone for 13 in his lo­­­ne over. But he kept calm, bo­w­led straight and Stoinis wh­­­ile trying to heave one out of the park, failed to connect. Th­en Vijay cl­aimed Adam Za­mpa as the crowd went wild and the entire team ran towa­rds the hero to congratulate him.

“I was waiting for this opportunity. Wanted to bowl under pressure. Only when I do it will they start believing me. I was up for the challenge. I was telling myself, ‘I’ll bowl the last over.’ It was just about being mentally clear. Just wanted to execute the right ball,” a beaming Vijay said.

The day belonged to Kohli also, who notched up his 40th century. Under the bright Nagpur sun, the skipper made 116 off 120 deliveries, hitting 10 boundaries. He also became the fastest captain to 9000 runs and also recorded 1000 fours.

But the rest of the top order failed to match the skipper. India were tottering at 75/3 wh­en Vijay walked in to bat. Given time to settle, he punished loose deliveries when given the chance. His quick-fire 46 allowed the skipper to play at his own pace. He was unlucky to be run out but Kohli was running out of partners.

After Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni’s dismissal off successive deliveries off Zampa, Ravindra Jadeja kept him company. The duo rescued India from a precarious situation. The seventh-wicket stand yielded 67 runs with Kohli being the aggressor. Jadeja was subdued, no doubt listening to the advice of his skipper. Eventually, the team was all out for 250. It was looking like a few runs too short at one stage before Bumrah and Vijay stepped in to save the day.