Australia's one-day international winning streak has ended at 10 games after India, led by a majestic century from Shikhar Dhawan, put on a clinical performance in their World Cup clash at The Oval on Sunday. After India posted 5-352, the second highest total of the tournament to date, Australia struggled to keep up with an ever-mounting asking rate and then fell in a heap, losing 3-6 in six balls to sink to their first defeat of the tournament.
They were bowled out for 316 on the final ball of the innings, handing the No.2 ranked ODI side a comfortable 36-run win. There was little joy for the Aussies with the ball at the death as they conceded 116 from the final 10 overs of the innings, while they were also left to rue wicketkeeper Alex Carey dropping Pandya off his first ball.
But his 84-ball 56 ranked as the slowest 50-plus score of his career and he departed with the asking rate approaching nine an over. But Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed both Smith and his replacement Marcus Stoinis, for a second-ball duck, in the space of three balls to send the overwhelmingly India-supporting crowd into frenzy. Carey raced to a 25-ball half-century late on and finished unbeaten on 55 off just 35 deliveries, yet his knock was in vain as India's quicks Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah were terrific at the death.
Earlier, Dhawan brought up a 95-ball century on an overthrow and looked like he might be settling in for a big one, before sub-fielder Nathan Lyon caught him on the square-leg boundary off Starc. Stoinis took a terrific one-handed catch off his own bowling to remove Dhoni, but the Indians played a series of breathtaking strokes in the closing overs, with their final tally behind only England for the highest score of the tournament.
