08 November,2009 01:07 PM IST | | Agencies
Australia's left-arm pacemen Doug Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson combined to bowl out India for 170 off 48 overs in the crucial sixth one-day international here on Sunday.
Bollinger picked 5-35 to equal his career-best figures while Johnson took 3-39 after Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat at the Nehru stadium.
With Australia leading the seven-match series 3-2, India must win this game if they are to draw level with the world champions ahead of the final outing in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Ravindra Jadeja top-scored for the home team with a fighting 57 off 103 balls with six fours for his second half-century from nine one-day internationals.
The left-handed batsman also put on 48 runs with Dhoni (24) and another 74 with Praveen Kumar who hit an unbeaten 51-ball 54 with seven fours and a six to lend respectability to India's total.
The Indians were off to a disastrous start with Johnson striking in the very first over to remove Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in the space of two balls.
Sehwag's off-stump was pegged back by a sharp inswinging delivery from the new-ball bowler while Gambhir too lost his wicket in a similar fashion.
Bigger trouble was in store for India when Sachin Tendulkar, who struck a brilliant 175 off 141 balls in the fifth one-dayer at Hyderabad, was caught and bowled by Bollinger for 10.
Yuvraj Singh (six) lost his wicket to the same bowler in a bizarre fashion, the left-hander playing the ball on to the stumps with his bat as he tried to hit it out of the way.
The Indians were reduced to a precarious 27-5 in the ninth over when Suresh Raina lobbed Johnson to mid-on but Jadeja and Kumar ensured India crossed the 100-run mark.
The injury-hit Australians, missing nine of their regular one-day players due to various niggles, brought back Johnson in place of Ben Hilfenhaus in the only change from the side that won the Hyderabad match by three runs.
India fielded an unchanged side.
Australia need to score at 3.42 runs an over to win the match and the series.
Scoreboard of the sixth cricket one-day international
India: V Sehwag b Johnson 6 S Tendulkar c & b Bollinger 10 G Gambhir b Johnson 0 Yuvraj Singh b Bollinger 6 M Dhoni lbw b Bollinger 24 S Raina c Hauritz b Johnson 0 R Jadeja c White b Bollinger 57 Harbhajan Singh b Bollinger 0 P Kumar not out 54 A Nehra b Watson 4 M Patel b Watson 0 Extras (B 1, LB 1, W 4, NB 3) 9 Total (all out in 48 overs) 170
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-7, 3-23, 4-24, 5-27, 6-75, 7-75, 8-149, 9-170, 10-170.
Bowling: M Johnson 9-1-39-3; D Bollinger 10-4-35-5; C McKay 10-1-44-0; NM Hauritz 9-2-19-0; S Watson 8-0-27-2; A Voges 2-0-4-0.
