Kartik leaves Australia in a spin

FE Team | Published: October 18, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

MUMBAI, Oct 17 (BBC): India spinner Murali Kartik claimed a maiden five-wicket haul as Australia were all out for 193 in the seventh and final one-day international in Mumbai.
Only Ricky Ponting defied the bowlers, with nine fours in his 63rd ODI fifty.
Kartik took three wickets in an over, Brett Lee the third Australian to fall first ball, to finish with 6-27, the best ODI return by a left-arm spinner.
It put India in a strong position to claim a consolation win, with Australia already in an unassailable 4-1 lead.
The hosts omitted former skipper Rahul Dravid, who had made only 51 runs in the series, including two ducks, although Mahendra Dhoni insisted he had been merely rested.
Left-armers Zaheer Khan and RP Singh found considerable movement with the new ball, but struggled to control it, sending down 14 wides between them.
But Zaheer did strike with his very first delivery, pitching on middle stump and moving in to trap Clarke lbw bang in front, umpire Aleem Dar having no hesitation at the start of his 100th one-day international.
After his 130 in the opening match of the series, it was a second successive first-ball dismissal for 26-year-old Clarke.
Ponting was the one batsman to look in touch, striking three fluent boundaries in one over from Singh and playing his customary array of attacking strokes.
Although he had faced much less of the strike, in the seventh over Gilchrist had only two to his name when he was dropped by Robin Uthappa at second slip off Zaheer.
The left-hander hit three fours in six balls but was well caught at third man when he skewed an extremely wide delivery from Irfan Pathan that barely pitched on the cut strip.
After Kartik had Brad Hodge caught at slip in his second over, he claimed the key wicket of Andrew Symonds next ball when the burly all-rounder slashed a long-hop low to Sachin Tendulkar at point.
Ponting slashed at a wide one from Singh and edged behind in the 27th over, before a pivotal 32nd over of the innings from Kartik.
50 overs Australia 193 (Ponting 57, Kartik 6-27) v India 163 for 8 at 10.20 pm.