Disappointed Dhoni Takes Responsibility For India’s 4th ODI Defeat

It is the first time in the series Australia has batted first after successfully chasing down big totals in the first three games to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.

The visitors were cruising towards the victory target of 349 set by Australia, until opener Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed for 126 in the 38th over by John Hastings.

Ganguly praised openers Rohit Sharma, who has scored 342 runs including two hundreds and Shikhar Dhawan, who has amassed 209 runs with one fifty and a hundred but said the rest needed to catch up.

Australia beat India in the fourth ODI by 25 runs and take a 4-0 series lead.

Team India picked two young batting all-rounders in Gurkeerat Singh (5) and Rishi Dhawan (9) in today’s game, but both of them played irresponsible shots and threw away their wickets. They were helped by Australias ploy of starting with Nathan Lyon (1-76) from one end. So far he has been consistent, and he can just avoid that back of length or short-pitched delivery.

Finch punished the Indian bowlers as after consuming only 107 balls, he has hit nine fours and two sixes.

But he was gone after gloving the ball down the leg side off Kane Richardson (5/68) in the 8th over. Kohli and Dhawan put up a stand of 212 runs and missed out by a whisker of two runs as the record partnership is of 213 runs.

Australia had posted 348 for eight after winning the toss, a total built on the back of an opening stand of 187 between Aaron Finch and David Warner.

2 – This is only the 2nd instance in ODI cricket where a team got bowled out from being 250/1.

India got off to best possible start with Rohit Sharma beginning the innings with a confident knock. The first ball Kohli faced raced to the boundary, a half step forward and wide taken and the bat connecting supremely with James Faulkner’s slightly widish delivery to send it to the point fence.

Captain MS Dhoni edged Hastings behind for a second-ball duck and, when Kohli lobbed Richardson to mid-off, India had lost three wickets for one run.

Kane Richardson, who claimed 5 for 68 to seal India’s fate, agreed about the importance of Dhoni’s wicket, and also stated that the hosts had been sustained by memories of a 2014 ODI against South Africa at this ground, when a similarly confident start to a chase had given way to a rush of wickets and a comfortable Australian victory. India are not bowling up to the mark at all and have lost because of it as the batsmen have done their part and the bowlers need to perform theirs.

In addition to their bowling travails, Ajinkya Rahane suffered split webbing in his right hand when fielding and a spokesman said he would bat “if required”. “Definitely we’re disappointed”, he said.

But it was skipper Steve Smith (51) and Glenn Maxwell (41) who provided the fireworks in front of a sell-out crowd of 10,922.

At the other end, Finch reached his century off 97 balls in the 34th over, but was out soon after, caught by Ishant off Umesh, as the run-rate seemed to be slowing down. Him and Davey (Warner) set the tone and us, and our bowlers were loving it – but not really, because we knew we had to go out there and bowl on that wicket! Finch promptly glanced the ball off his pads to dispatch it to the boundary and kick-off the Australian run spree.