Batting with energy

Large parts of Bahrain came to a standstill at the weekend as the thrilling One Day International Cricket series between India and Australia came to a stunning conclusion. 

Workers and shoppers alike congregated around large TV screens in the malls and even the hundreds of mini-matches on desert wasteland were few and far between as India clinched the seven-match, one-day series, 3-2, defeating the visitors by 57 runs.

While it may still not have broken the local stranglehold enjoyed by football and handball, cricket is still considered to be the most popular sport played and watched on the island.

The series decider will be forever remembered for the spectacular demonstration of managed batting by opener, Rohit Sharma. 

Starting conservatively, he accelerated in the final overs to smash the second highest individual ODI innings and becoming only the third double-centurion in history (the others also being Indians, Sehwag and Tendulkar).
 
Sharma also overtook match-day opponent, Shane Watson, by recording the highest number of sixes in a single innings, smashing 16 balls over the boundary.  Sharma’s 209 came from only 158 balls.

Remarkably, given the quality of the opposition, he had an opportunity to overtake Sehwag’s 219, set against the West Indies in 2011.  However, having hit the first two balls of the over for six, he was caught on the boundary off the third.

Sharma’s innings was supplemented primarily by Dhoni whose quickfire 62 off 38 balls helped India add 101 runs from the final five overs, finishing on an imposing total of 383.

Australia’s reply was stuttering, losing their first six wickets for 138 runs before Watson (six sixes in 22 balls), hampered by an injury suffered while bowling,  and Faulkner who had the consolation of recording the fastest century ever by an Australian, hitting 116 off 73 balls, reaching three figures in 57 deliveries.
 
He eclipsed Matthew Hayden’s 66-ball century while facing the West indies bowlers in 2007.  Faulkner was also involved in Australia’s first century partnership for the ninth wicket, eventually reaching 115, before McKay was dismissed for only 18!

The series will be remembered for high totals and thrilling run chases.  In the final match India proved that they can set a decent total and defend it.  Their previous victories came while chasing, in the process setting the second and third highest winning totals while batting second. 

Remarkably, Australia have now been on the receiving end of the five highest-scoring defeats.  While India amassed 362-1 in Jaipur and 351-4 in Nagpur, any team will have to go some way to surpass the 438-9 recorded by South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006 to send the Aussies to defeat.

A number of other records fell throughout the series, primarily to batting teams.  Despite losing a one-day series to India for the first time since 1986, Australia set the highest total for runs scored, recording 1,938 in their six innings, recording, for the first time, totals exceeding 300 on five occasions.  This total was aided by 66 sixes, another record.

Unsurprisingly, a number of bowlers will quickly wish to forget this series.  Vinay Kumar became the first Indian bowler to concede over 100 runs in a match, conceding 102 runs from his nine overs in the final match in Bangalore.  Clint McKay also recorded the worst figures by an Australian in allowing India to score 89 from his full allocation.

Australia now return home to prepare for an Ashes test against England, whose opening warm-up match will have failed to answer the question as to who will fill the positions for No. 6 in the batting line-up and the final seam-bowler. 

The home nation will have confidence restored that they have a number of quality batsmen and all-rounders who could tip the balance from the last time these two sides met only a few months ago, although the Editor thinks it unlikely.