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.

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