Australia beaten at the hands of India by 147 runs
It rained boundaries on Match three of day two at the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals 2013 in a must win game for Australia against a formidable Indian side.
Winning the toss, India sent in their opening pair: Deepak Sharma and Jaskaran Singh who wasted no time in showing the Aussies they meant business. Singh and Sharma both frequently smacked big sixes at every opportunity they got. Sharma was given a second chance on 15 and the pair added 89 for the first wicket before being bowled by Hugh Campbell. His departure didn’t affect India’s momentum as skipper, Kunal Mahajan picked up where Sharma left off.
The onslaught continued as both batsmen effortlessly lifted the ball high over the boundary line as the Aussies struggled to control the run-rate. Leading by example, Aussie skipper, Thomas Attalah dismissed the big-hitting Jaskaran Singh for 63 – his second half-century for the day. Mahajan blazed to 45 before being undone by Thomas Rogers. Simranpreet Singh and Aatish Bhalaik chipped in with quick-fire cameos of 36 and 19, respectively. The Indian batting prowess was in full display as they went onto to complete the innings at 225/8 with 16 sixes and 20 fours.
Australia’s chase got off to a rocky start when opener Hugh Campbell was bowled by Vishwas Khatak in the very first over. After a quick fall of wickets, the Aussies struggled to chase a rapidly climbing strike rate. The Aussies tried to force the runs, but it only resulted in more dismissals. Only four of the Aussie batsmen scored above nine and they finally folded in the 12th over for just 78 runs.
Jaskaran Singh deservedly walked away with the ‘Man of the Match’ for the second game in a row, and India waltzed into the semi finals. The chances of Australia making it into the semis, is now dependant on either India or Pakistan losing their next game.
