Bengaluru, Sep 28 (IANS) Australia dominated with both bat and ball to defeat India by 21 runs in the fourth One-Day International (ODI) here on Thursday.

The hosts, who had already won the five-match series, now have a 3-1 lead.

Electing to bat, Australia produced a challenging total of 334/5 in their 50 overs thanks to a 231-run opening stand by David Warner and Aaron Finch.

Warner top scored for the visitors with 124 runs off 119 deliveries, hitting 12 boundaries and four sixes along the way.

The in-form Finch, who had scored a century in the last match, was unlucky to miss out on on another three-digit score. He fell to fast bowler Umesh Yadav on 94, having smashed 10 boundaries and three sixes during his 96-ball stay in the middle.

In reply, the hosts could only manage 313/8 despite half-centuries from Kedar Jadhav, Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane.

The loss saw India skipper Virat Kohli fail in his bid to register the longest winning spree by an Indian captain.

He had equalled previous incumbent Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s record run of nine consecutive victories when the hosts won the last encounter at Indore.

Pacer Kane Richardson played a crucial role for the Australians, picking up the key wickets of Rahane, Jadhav and the dangerous Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Chasing a challenging target, India were off to a good start with Rohit and Rahane putting up an opening stand of 106 runs.

Rohit was in excellent form, with five sixes and a boundary dotting his 55-ball innings which yielded 65 runs.

Rahane gave him good support from the other end, scoring 53 runs off 66 balls with six boundaries and a hit into the stands.

The Australian bowlers tasted their first success Rahane fell to a slower, cross-seam delivery from Kane Richardson.

The Mumbai batsman was outfoxed by the lack of pace even as he stepped out of his crease to attempt another big hit, only to find Aaron Finch at the long-on boundary.

Rohit was run out a short while later after being involved in a horrendous bit of mix up with Kohli. The Indian skipper was bowled a couple of overs later Nathan Coulter-Nile as the visitors gained the upper hand.

Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya tried to stage a fightback, adding 78 runs between them off 77 deliveries.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa broke the partnership when Pandya, who scored 41 runs off 40 deliveries, was caught at long-off by David Warner while trying to hit the ball out of the park.

Jadhav, who top scored for the hosts with 67 runs, kept Indian hopes alive with 61-run stand with Manish Pandey which came off 51 balls.

Jadhav, whose spirited 69-ball knock included seven hits to the fence and a six, was dismissed when he misread a slow leg-cutter by Richardson with Finch latching on to the ball at long-off.

That brought old war horse Mahendra Singh Dhoni to the middle to loud cheers from the partisan home crowd.

Richardson however, forced the crowd into stunned silence when Dhoni was bowled in an attempt to accelrate the scoring rate. That virtually put an end to the hosts’ chances and the result was only a formality from there on.

–IANS
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