5th ODI: Indian batsmen flop in last game before World Cup, lose series against Australia 2-3
New Delhi, Mar 13: India's quest to find right combinations for the upcoming World Cup ended with a 35 run defeat in the decisive fifth ODI against Australia as they lost the series 2-3 here Wednesday.
In what was their last game before the showpiece event in United Kingdom, the Indian innings folded for 237, exactly in 50 overs while chasing a 273-run target. Australia had put on board 272 for nine, built around Usman Khawaja's (100) second hundred of the series.
It was India's first ODI series defeat at home since losing to South Africa in 2015 as their big guns fell silent on the day when the series was on line.
India also became the only side in the world to lose an ODI series twice after leading 2-0.
The home side dropped K L Rahul from the game, tried Rishabh Pant at number four and Vijay Shankar at five in the last-ditch effort to find right batting order.
However, chasing a challenging target on a tricky Feroz Shah Kotla wicket, India were strangled in the middle overs by the Australian spinners.
History too was against India since the hosts have not successfully chased a 250-plus total at the Kotla in the last 37 years. It was way back in September 1982 against Sri Lanka when they overhauled a 278-run target.
On the other hand, Australia, who were trailing 0-2 initially, made a remarkable comeback to grab their first ODI series win in India since 2009.
It is only the fifth instance that a team has won a series after being down 0-2.
The Australian spin trio of Adam Zampa (3/46), Nathan Lyon (1/34) and part-timer Glenn Maxwell (0/34) kept the Indian batsmen on a tight leash.
Only Rohit Sharma (56) could score a half-century, which included two reprieves.
India could not make a flying start, losing last match's centurion Shikhar Dhawan (12) early and managed just 43 runs in the 10 Powerplay overs.
Rohit was again slow off the blocks, hardly rotating the strike but found some elegant boundaries off the pacers.
The assuring presence of skipper Virat Kohli (20) did not last long as he too departed early, caught behind while attempting a cut off Marcus Stoinis. He added 53 runs for the second wicket with Rohit.
India threw Pant (16) in the line of fire by promoting him to number four but the local boy, who desperately required a substantial performance to back his claim for a spot in the World Cup squad, lasted only 16 balls.
He smashed leg-spinner Zampa for a six but was undone by Lyon, who had the left-hander caught at first slip.
Rotating the strike was key on this Kotla wicket but the Australian spinners kept the pressure on India with dot balls.
The extravagance cost both Pant and Vijay Shankar (16) their wickets as they went after Lyon and Zampa respectively.
Reduced to 132 for six inside 30 overs, India were out of the contest and Kedar Jadhav (44) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (46) just reduced the defeat margin. Their 91-run standoff 103 balls, however, showed that there were no demons in the wicket.
Earlier, opener Usman Khawaja, who had not scored a century before arriving to India for this series, hit an exact 100 off 106 balls as he shared two big partnerships at the top of the order to set platform for the visiting side.
Australia were placed comfortably at 175 for one and set for a kill in slog overs, but India came back when Bhuvneshwar got rid off Khawaja in the last ball of the 33rd over.
The visitors added only 97 runs in last 17 overs for the loss of seven wickets.
The left-handed Khawaja first raised a 76-run stand with Aaron Finch (27) after his skipper elected to bat in hazy and overcast conditions and followed it up with a 99-run partnership with Peter Handscomb (52).
Khawaja was yet again impressive with his footwork, handling the Indian spinners nicely before being caught at shot extra cover by Kohli off Bhuvneshwar. The left-hander hit 10 fours and two sixes before driving straight to Kohli.
Jadeja then got rid of Glenn Maxwell (1) and Shami sent back Handscomb as Australia lost three wickets in the space of 14 balls.
Jadeja, who replaced Yuzvendra Chahal, made a strong case for himself for inclusion in the World Cup squad with figures of 10-0-45-2.
Jasprit Bumrah was exceptional in his first eight overs giving just 14 runs but Jhye Richardson (29) spoilt his figures by creaming off four boundaries from his ninth over, providing one last push to Australian innings.
It turned out to be a forgettable day for chinaman Kuldeep Yadav who bled 74 runs in his 10 overs but he dismissed dangerous Ashton Turner (20) cheaply.
Brief Score:
Australia Innings: 272-9 (50)
India Innings: 237-10 (50)
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Justice Sanjiv Khanna appointed next CJI, oath on Nov 11
New Delhi, Oct 24: Justice Sanjiv Khanna was on Thursday appointed the 51st Chief Justice of India.
He will take oath on November 11, a day after incumbent Justice D Y Chandrachud demits office on attaining the age of 65.
Justice Chandrachud took over as the CJI on November 8, 2022.
Justice Khanna will have a tenure of a little over six months as CJI and would demit office on May 13, 2025.
"In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, Hon'ble President, after consultation with Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice of India with effect from 11th November, 2024," Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal posted on X.
Justice Khanna was appointed an additional judge of the Delhi High Court in 2005 and was made a permanent judge in 2006. On January 18, 2019, he was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court.
Born on May 14, 1960, he studied law at the Campus Law Centre of Delhi University.
Some of the notable judgments of Justice Khanna in the Supreme Court include upholding the use of electronic voting machines in elections, saying the devices were secure and eliminated booth capturing and bogus voting.
He was also part of the five-judge bench that declared the electoral bond scheme, meant for funding of political parties, as unconstitutional.
Justice Khanna was a part of the five-judge bench, which upheld the Centre's 2019 decision abrogating Article 370 of the Constitution which granted a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Justice Khanna, who is the senior-most judge after the outgoing CJI, and the executive chairman of the National Legal Service Authority (NALSA), had granted interim bail to the then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, an accused in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam cases, for campaigning in Lok Sabha elections.
He is the nephew of former apex court judge H R Khanna, who was part of the landmark verdict propounding the basic structure doctrine in Kesavananda Bharati case of 1973.
The retirement age of Supreme Court judges is 65 years, while high court judges demit office at the age of 62 years.
The Centre recently asked CJI Chandrachud to name his successor.
According to the memorandum of procedure (MoP) -- a set of documents guiding appointment, elevation and transfer of high court and Supreme Court judges -- the law minister writes to the CJI to name his or her successor.
Law Minister Meghwal had written to CJI Chandrachud asking him to name his successor.
The MoP says the senior-most judge of the apex court is considered fit to hold the office of the CJI and the views of the outgoing head of the judiciary have to be sought "at an appropriate time".
The MoP, however, does not specify the time limit for the initiation of the process of recommending the name of the successor CJI.
In exercise of the power conferred by the Constitution of India, Hon’ble President, after consultation with Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, is pleased to appoint Shri Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Judge of the Supreme Court of India as Chief Justice of India with effect from 11th…
— Arjun Ram Meghwal (@arjunrammeghwal) October 24, 2024
