Ist ODI: Match called off due to rain

Chasing 308, India was 9 for one after 2.4 overs against Australia in the first ODI of the seven-match series in Bangalore on Saturday when rain stopped play.

Sachin Tendulkar was the first to depart as he was caught plumb infront by Mitchell Johnson in the last ball of the second over.

Tendulkar returning to the team after a three-week break, was looking to see off the over after it started drizzling at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

However the Bombay Bomber was undone by an inswinging delivery by the 25-year-old Aussie. Play was called off a few balls later with India at 9 for 1 after 2.4 overs.

Michael Clarke's brilliant century helped Australia pile up 307 for seven after Adam Gilchrist elected to bat.

Zaheer Khan struck upfront to scalp the Australian opener Adam Gilchrist for 12 runs as Yuvraj Singh took an unbelievable catch at point to give India a superb start.

In the following over, Sreesanth bowled a spetacular delivery to castle Brad Hodge for a duck to push the visitors on the backfoot early on.

After losing two early wickets in quick succession, Matthew Hayden and Michael clarke consolidated the innings with a 60-run stand for the third wicket before Sreesanth repeated his Twenty20 act to send back the dangerman.

Hayden's attempt to slog the bowler failed and the ball crashed on to the stumps. He made 34 off 39 deliveries which included five boundaries and one six.

Sreesanth struck again in his successive over to fox Andrew Symmonds for seven runs. The batsmen was done in by the slower one.

The Kerala speedster celebrated his third wicket by banging his hands on the pitch like he did after removing Hayden in Twenty20.

The visitors were at 90/4 in the 17th over when Brad Haddin and Michael Clarke came together.

The pair set about consolidating the innings and added 144 runs for the fifth wicket, both batsmen reaching half centuries in the process.

After Haddin fell to Yuvraj Singh for a well made 69, Clarke went it alone. He was particularly severe on Ramesh Powar hitting the spinner for a six to bring up his maiden ODI ton against India.

Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa miss out and Dinesh Karthik will be the 12th man. India's bowling attack consist of Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, Irfan Pathan and Ramesh Powar.

It was only last Saturday that Australia was stunned by India in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup.

Teams

Australia: Adam Gilchrist (C), Staurt Clark, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Mathew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Mitchel Johnson, Bret Lee, Andrew Symonds, Brad Hogg, James Hopes.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Gautham Gambhir, Sourav Ganguly, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Romesh Powar, RP Singh, S Sreesanth.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/