Australia need 171 to win series

Guwahati:It was a good toss to lose for Australia as their new ball bowlers struck early, reducing India to 27/5 inside 9 overs.

India were bowled for 170 runs in the sixth ODI at Guwahati on Sunday morning, failing to survive their full quota of 50 overs.

Even for this moderate total, India had Ravindra Jadeja and Praveen Kumar to thank, who displayed great gusto to ensure that hosts retained a fighting chance of winning this crucial match and leveling the series.

20 year old Jadeja, who faced immense criticism for his reckless run-outs in the previous two games, showed the way to his illustrious seniors with a gritty 57 run-knock, his second ever half-century.

Coming into bat with the scoreboard reading 27/5 and India facing an inglorious prospect of being bundled out for a 2-digit score, forget lasting 50 overs, initially along with Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Jadeja provided some much needed stability to the Indian ship.Dhoni and Jadeja strung together a good partnership before a rough decision sent the skipper back just when he was settling in. Jadeja chipped in with a mature half century. He and Praveen Kumar, who scored his maiden ODI fifty stitched together a vital 74 run stand to lift India past the 150 mark. Bollinger was the pick of the bowlers, snapping 5 wickets, and in the end reducing India to a below par total of 170. Can the Aussies have this easy or will India make a fist of this?

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