Play called off as India, Australia share honours

Brisbane: The best of cricket's pundits couldn't have predicted this antithesis. Brett Lee snaring five wickets in one of his better performances, then India having Australia wobbling, and finally which way the match had tilted when rain forced umpires to call off the opening tri-series game between Australia and India at the Gabba in Brisbane on Sunday.

For starters, India's sorry tale with the bat continued. Brett Lee bagged his seventh five-wicket haul as India crashed to yet another low, bundled out for 194 in their stipulated 45 overs.

Four rain interruptions and numerous over reductions later, S Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma were on the verge of repeating Lee's histrionics, even though Australia only required 141 to win off their 26 overs, having knocked off 51 of them in 7.2 overs. Both sides, however ended with two points in the bag, and Australia most likely in disgust.

Adam Gilchrist had a new partner in James Hopes at the top of the order as the duo began chasing down the runs, but Sreesanth struck to get rid of Adam Gilchrist just before rain stopped play the first time in the Australian innings.

But it was after this break when India looked to be in the game. James Hopes, who struck four boundaries in a row off Irfan Pathan, was cleaned up by Ishant Sharma before Sreesanth had Sehwag pouch captain Ricky Ponting for a duck.

India were reduced to 26-2 inside the first 10 overs after openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar departed early, but Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma put together 65 runs for the third wicket to restore some order in the Indian innings.

However, Mitchell Johnson trapped Gambhir leg before for 39 before Australian spearhead Lee removed Sharma and debutant Tiwary in successive overs as India slumped to 102-6 from being 91-2 at one stage, before rains lashed the Gabba surface.

Harbhajan Singh struck a timely 27 from just 19 balls to boost India's total to 194, which included a 42-run partnership with captain MS Dhoni who scored 37.

Sachin Tendulkar, returning to the side after opting out of the T20 fixture, departed for little talk other than his first ever hit-wicket dismissal.

Gambhir carried his rich vein of form in the Ranji season into the game but was undone by Mitchell Johnson who trapped him leg before for 39, bringing to an end a 65-run stand, failing to capitalise on Australia's missed chances on the field.

Skipper Ricky Ponting was a last-minute inclusion but opener Matthew Hayden was unable to regain full fitness as Australia included James Hopes while Ashley Noffke made his one-day debut as Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to bat.

Bengal batsman Manoj Tiwary won his maiden ODI cap for India while Sachin Tendulkar returned after missing the Twenty20 match.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma.

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, James Hopes, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Mike Hussey, Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Ashley Noffke, Mitchell Johnson.