Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], March 6 (ANI): It’s a battle etched in cricketing folklore — one that has thrilled generations of fans, and on Wednesday, it unfolded once again under the floodlights at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, where a jam-packed crowd were treated to a vintage Sachin Tendulkar masterclass for the India Masters after Australia Masters duo of Shane Watson and Ben Dunk unleashed carnage to eventually help their side notch up their first win of the ongoing International Masters League season.
Cometh the hour, cometh the master blaster –Tendulkar brought back memories of the epic Desert Storm in Sharjah with an electrifying 33-ball 64, setting the perfect tone for India Masters’ run chase. The delicate late cuts and booming straight drives were on full display as Tendulkar took on the Australian attack with fearless intent, to raise his fifty off mere 27 deliveries, reminding fans why he remains the heartbeat of Indian cricket, as per IML press release.
Despite losing his partners at the other end, Tendulkar raged a lone battle, smoking four sixes and seven fours to power India Masters to 100/3 midway through the innings, thus enthralling the crowd, who were left shocked when Xavier Doherty held on to a catch off Daniel Christian. After his departure, Yusuf Pathan came up with a 15-ball 25 to raise hopes of a fourth win on the trot for the India Masters, who are already assured of a place in the knockouts.
But with the required rate mounting and the rest of the batters expected to step on the gas from the word go, it turned out to be a tall ask as India Masters eventually fell short by 95 runs for their first loss of the tournament. For the Aussies, left-arm tweaker Doherty (5/25) emerged the pick of the bowlers, claiming the first fifer of the tournament.
Earlier, Dunk and Watson turned back the clock in style to raise an unbeaten 236-run partnership, the highest partnership in T20 cricket for the second wicket to propel Australia Masters to a mammoth 269/1. Watson, who received a reprieve on one after being dropped by wicketkeeper Naman Ojha, made the India Masters pay for the let-off, with his second century of the tournament, and four balls later, Dunk got to the three-figure landmark too, to pile on more misery on the home side.
There was no shortage of excitement to the rip-roaring contest as Shaun Marsh started with a hat-trick of boundaries off Vinay Kumar before Watson was dropped. The Aussie duo took full advantage of the field restrictions, racing to 28 off the first three overs before leg spinner Rahul Sharma’s introduction curbed the flow of runs.
Sharma, fresh from a hat-trick in the previous match against South Africa Masters, hardly allowed the Australian pair to free their arms, and the pressure helped the left-arm spinner Pawan Negi to draw first blood for the home side with the scalp of Marsh for a 15-ball 22, laced with four boundaries. That eventually turned out to be the only moment to cherish for the India Masters on a rather miserable day on the field.
Dunk, coming in at No.3, opened his account with a mighty six over midwicket and continued to make life miserable for the India Masters as he joined forces with Watson to set the tempo of the mighty total. The 37-year-old wicketkeeper-batter soon went on to outscore his skipper, getting to a half-century off just 23 deliveries, even as Watson, who preferred to take the back seat, shifted gears with consecutive sixes off Sharma to notch up a 29-ball fifty.
Refreshing memories of their heydays, the Australian pair dealt mostly in fours and sixes, as the second wicket partnership flourished to more than a hundred inside mere eight overs. At no point during their knocks did Watson and Dunk appear they be past their prime, as Watson went on to notch up a 47-ball 100 before Dunk surpassed his skipper to blast a 43-ball century — the fastest of the tournament. In the end, the duo went back undefeated with Watson slamming a 52-ball 110, laced with 12 fours and seven massive sixes, while Dunk notched up a brutal 53-ball 132, powered by 12 hits to the fence and 10 gigantic sixes.
Adding to the drama, this clash comes just a day after the current Indian team’s triumph over Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal in Dubai–a poetic coincidence that makes this face-off even more special, and serves a perfect reminder of how this rivalry continues to deliver, no matter the era.
Brief Scores: Australia Masters 269/1 (Ben Dunk 132*, Shane Watson 110, Pawan Negi 1/34) vs India Masters 174 (Sachin Tendulkar 64, Yusuf Pathan 25; Xavier Doherty 5/25). (ANI)
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