The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Chawla, Mayank save India

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Monday, Sep 26, 2005

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Sport - Cricket

Chawla, Mayank save India

Rakesh Rao

DHARAMSHALA: : Rain ruined prospects of a close finish but Indians had no reason to complain. A favourable equation in the Duckworth Lewis Method saw India wade to a six-wicket victory in the fourth one-day (under-19) match against Australia and with it, take a winning 3-1 lead in the series at the Dharamshala Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.

For the record, Australia scored 212 in 50 overs and India finished at 154 for four in 33 overs when heavy rain forced a premature end to the match.

Once the calculators were out, it was known that at the end of 33 overs, India should have scored at least 127 with six wickets remaining to be declared victorious. Before it poured, the unfinished 95-run fifth-wicket stand between left-handed Piyush Chawla (49 not out, one 6, five 4s) and Mayank Tehlan (42 not out, three 4s) set India on course of a possible victory.

Chasing a none-too-intimidating 212, India was tottering at 59 for four after a now-familiar top-order collapse. But Chawla got India back on the rails with a flourish. He smashed off-spinner Patrick Darwen for three boundaries in an over and in the next over, hit a six and a four off left-arm spinner Jack McNamara to set the pace. Before long, Tehlan got into the act and shared a rollicking stand that proved decisive.

During this series-winning triumph, medium pacer Abu Nachim claimed a hat-trick off the last three deliveries of the final over when desperate Australians threw their bats at everything.

Put in, Australia lost its top five batsmen for just 90 but rallied brilliantly through David Warner (56) and Phillip Wells (50) and their 112-run sixth-wicket stand. However, the last five overs saw the Australians add just 12 runs and present Nachim with a rare hat-trick.

Prasad pleased

Coach Venkatesh Prasad was pleased with the result and the way the team came out very strongly after the reverse in the second game. Australian coach Brian McFadyen made no secret of his disappointment but graciously admitted that the Indians clearly outplayed his team over the weekend.

Though the series has already been decided, both camps were equally emphatic in stressing the importance of the last game that will be played, weather permitting, in New Delhi on September 29. It was obvious that both sides wanted to end the series on a winning note.

The scores: Australia (under-19): G. Skennar b Rajan 23, U. Khwaja b Yomahesh 0, T. Cooper c and b Chawla 37, T. Stray lbw b Yomahesh 4, A. Finch b Murtaza 8, D. Warner c Shukla b Nachim 56, P. Wells c Shukla b Murtaza 50, J. McNamara b Murtaza 3, P. Darwen c (sub) Tehlan b Nachim 2, J. Bird c Shah b Nachim 0, C. Thompson (not out) 0, Extras (lb-2, nb-4, w-23) 29, Total (in 50 overs) 212.

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-33, 3-44, 4-69, 5-90, 6-202, 7-210, 8-212, 9-212.

India bowling: Rajan 7-1-49-1, Yomahesh 10-1-32-2, Nachim 7-0-23-3, Murtaza 8-1-37-3, Chawla 6-0-22-1, Sharma 7-0-23-0, Nadeem 5-0-24-0.

India (under-19): S. Anirudh lbw b Thompson 2, A. Rawat c Finch b Darwen 11, R. Sharma c Bird b McNamara 30, R. Shukla c Stray b Darwen 2, M. Tehlan (not out) 42, P. Chawla (not out) 49, Extras (nb-2, w-16) 18, Total (for four wickets in 33 overs) 154.

Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-42, 3-47, 4-59.

Australia bowling: Bird 7-0-24-0, Thompson 4-0-16-1, McNamara 6-0-32-1, Darwen 4-0-23-2, Finch 6-0-26-0, Skennar 4-0-16-0, Khwaja 2-0-17-0.

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