Related Links : India’s Tour of Australia 2007/08 : Scorecard
An electrifying Australian line-up led by ‘Pup’ Michael Clarke was too good for the T20 World Champions, India. A packed house at the MCG where left disappointed with just the six fours and two sixes witnessed in the entire match due to an ill planned Indian batting. Aussies embarrassed India when they bowled them out in 17.3 overs for a paltry total of 74. In their chase, the Australian romped home with a 9-wicket win with 52 balls to spare.
India stuck with their young guns with Sachin Tendulkar deciding not to play the game despite an opening in the form of Yuvraj’s absence. Sreesanth was back in the fold for the Indians after recovering from a shoulder injury. Australia had plenty of relatively new faces such as David Hussey, Ashley Noffke and Adam Voges. It was the Australian fielding that set tone for the match. Things started badly and continued to be so that way for the Indians after Virender Sehwag was brilliantly run out by a direct throw from Clarke. Sehwag didn’t score a single run and the rest of the batsmen couldn’t even get into double figures barring no.7 Irfan Pathan (26 from 30). All of the batsmen got dismissed playing rank bad shots as if they were playing the last over of the innings. The Indian top order was back in the dug out in the 7th over itself with just 32 on the board.
Captain Dhoni went for a big one off off-spinner David Hussey but he found out that the MCG was a bit too huge to clear. The young Indian team proved that they weren’t ready to take the Aussies in a different world altogether. All the six bowlers used by Michael Clarke were amongst the wickets. Australia knocked off the partly target in the 12th over with only Adam Gilchrist (25 from 22 with 2 fours and a six) being the casualty when he holed out to a fielder in the deep. Clarke, his opening partner remained unbeaten on 37 from 36 with a four and a six and was the Player of the Match.