Bhajji strikes to put the brakes on Aussie scoring
Jadeja throw from the deep stuns Ponting
White fails to provide momentum in the slog overs
Bollinger stops rampaging Sehwag
Tendulkar misses milestone
Yuvraj falls short
Ashish Nehra led a disciplined bowling performance (3 for 37) from India on a good batting wicket as Australia were dismissed for 250 in the fourth One-Day International at the PCA stadium, in Mohali, on Monday.
Indian pacers Praveen Kumar and Nehra got a lot of movement in the early overs to trouble both Watson and Shaun Marsh.
Watson got the first boundary of the innings in the third over when he flicked Kumar through midwicket.
But he went out to Harbhajan's very first delivery in the 19th over. Watson tried to play a cut-shot but only managed to edge it into the hands of 'keeper MS Dhoni.
Image: MS Dhoni celebrates after taking a catch to dismiss Shane Watson
Photographs: Reuters
That wicket checked Australia a bit, as they reached 95 for two after 20 overs.
However, Ponting was desperate not to let Harbhajan settle after that early wicket and slog-swept him for a boundary though midwicket in the 21st over.
Ponting completed his half-century off just 56 deliveries when he flicked Harbhajan through the fine leg region in 27th over.
Just when it seemed that he was settling down for a big innings, he was dismissed run-out while attempting a second run following a direct hit from Jadeja at square, at the striker's end, reducing Australia to 123 for 3 in 26.5 overs.
Image: Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh celebrate the dismissal of Ricky Ponting
The dismissal of Ponting put the onus of steadying the ship on Michael Hussey and Cameron White (62 off 71 deliveries). They did well to stitch up a partnership of 73 runs in 68 deliveries for the fourth wicket till Hussey's stay at the crease was terminated by Yuvraj Singh.
With Hussey back in the pavilion the onus was on White to help Australia put up a challenging total. But the skipper of Victoria couldn't do much as he was dismissed at the start of the batting Powerplay in the 45th over.
Image: Cameron White plays a shot on the off-side
Doug Bollinger replaced Mitchell Johnson and immediately struck with the big wicket of the rampaging Virender Sehwag.
India's dashing opener tried to play a lofted shot but hit it straight to Shane Watson at mid-off and was dismissed after a quickfire 30 from 19 deliveries, inclusive of seven boundaries.
Image: Bollinger is congratulated by Ponting
Just when it looked as if Mohali would witness another Sachin Tendulkar landmark the crowd was left disappointed. The veteran batsman was adjudged leg before wicket to Nathan Hauritz by Sri Lankan umpire Ashoka de Silva to a delivery that hit him around middle stump and would have surely missed the leg stump, as it turned sharply into the batsman.
Tendulkar, who scored 40 from 68 deliveries, walked back smiling in disbelief, agonizingly short of the 17,000-run milestone.
Image: Nathan Hauritz celebrates after trapping Tendulkar leg before
Yuvraj Singh was unable to reproduce the showing of the previous match at Kotla as he was dismissed run-out for 12.
The left-hander hit one towards Ricky Ponting at cover and set off for a quick single, but the Australian captain's direct hit caught him short. India were in trouble at 113-4 after 23.2 overs.
Image: Ricky Pontin celebrates the dismissal of Yuvraj
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