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हिंदी खबरें 
Vadodara: Australia beat India by 4 runs in a mouth-watering first match of the 7 match series at Vadodara after heroics by Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar, who added 84 runs for the 8th wicket and took India very close to victory.
Harbhajan scored 49 off 31 balls while Praveen Kumar hit 42 off 32 deliveries to do the damage control for Team India who lost their top 7 batsman with the score of 201 in the 40th over, chasing 293.
India needed 9 runs in the final over but wicket of Harbhajan Singh on the second ball by Peter Siddle changed the way of the match. India lose the match by 4 runs with 6 matches more to go against the mighty Aussies.
Earlier, Gautam Gambhir hit a fluent half-century, but Australia kept chipping away at the wickets to take control.
Having lost the openers early, Gambhir rallied India with a fine innings of 68 from 85 deliveries. But Mitchell Johnson claimed two wickets, those of Gambhir and Suresh Raina (9) in successive overs, to reduce India to 201 for seven after 40 overs.
Virender Sehwag threatened briefly with a quick 13 before he was scalped by Brett Lee, while Sachin Tendulkar was caught in the covers off Shane Watson for 14.
Sehwag, back for in India colours after a gap of nearly six months, showed no signs of rustiness and started off in his usual attacking fashion. He opened with consecutive boundaries square on both sides of the wicket against Lee off the first two deliveries of the innings.
Peter Siddle was as erratic as Lee, starting with a wide down the leg side that went to the boundary. Sehwag seemed hungry to make up for lost time during his injury lay-off as he cut the next delivery over the point fielder for his third boundary.
Sachin Tendulkar took time to get his eye in before flicking Siddle past square leg for his first boundary in the fourth over.
Lee though had the last laugh as far as his battle with Sehwag was concerned. The speedster continued his good form from the Champions League Twenty20, having Sehwag caught behind for 13 from 11 deliveries, inclusive of three boundaries. (25-1, 4.2)
After 20 overs, India were 101 for two, with Gambhir unbeaten on 32 from 41 deliveries and Kohli not out on 29 from 39 deliveries.
Kohli tried to unsettle part-time spinner Adam Voges but paid the price as he tried a rash shot. The youngster charged down the wicket but failed get to the pitch and ended up holing a catch to Watson at mid-off. He fell for 30 from 41 deliveries. (103-3, 20.4)
Kohli added 58 runs in 75 deliveries for the third wicket with Gambhir but his impatience saw Australia take the upper hand.
Off-spinner Nathan Hauritz started off well, conceding just five runs in his first three overs, as India reached 124 for three at the halfway stage, needing another 169 runs in 25 overs.
Gambhir completed his half-century in the 26th over off 64 deliveries with a double on the leg side off Hauritz in the 28th over.
Gambhir was 52 not out from 71 deliveries and Mahendra Singh Dhoni unbeaten on 15 from 27 deliveries as India scored 141 for three after 30 overs.
Almost five overs passed off without a boundary as India's required run rate started climbing. The batsmen managed to break the shackles somewhat as both Dhoni and Gambhir bagged a boundary each in Johnson's sixth over.
India took the Batting Powerplay early, at the start of the 35th over, but the gamble backfired. Johnson dealt India's chances a huge blow when he trapped Gambhir leg before wicket. The left-hander missed a low full toss as he tried to play across the line and was dismissed after a fine innings of 68 from 85 deliveries, inclusive of six boundaries and a six. (167-4, 34.1)
The Gambhir-Dhoni partnership yielded 64 runs off 81 deliveries for the fourth wicket and kept India in the hunt. After 35 overs, India were 173 for three, with Dhoni unbeaten on 31 from 41 deliveries, needing another 120 runs from 90 deliveries.
Suresh Raina started off positively, launching Watson over midwicket for a huge six in the 37th over. However, the young left-hander fell in the next. Deceived by a slower delivery, he offered the bowler, Johnson, an easy return catch and was out for 9. (183-5, 36.3)
Trying to make most of the Powerplay, Dhoni then charged down the wicket but ended up lofting Watson straight to Lee at mid-on after scoring 34 from 46 deliveries. (186-6, 37,2)
That wicket surely put Australia in the driver's seat, with all the recognized batsmen back in the hut and 107 more runs needed from 76 deliveries, with four wickets in hand.
Ravindra Jadeja (5) found it tough in the middle before he was dismissed leg before wicket attempting a sweep shot against Hauritz. (201-7, 39.5)
Earlier, Australia's four top-order batsmen struck half-centuries to set up a 293-run target for India in the first of their seven One-day international cricket match here Sunday.
Skipper Ricky Ponting decided to take first strike on a batting wicket and fast outfield and led the Australian charge, scoring 74 off 85 balls. Ponting and Tim Paine (50) added 97 runs for the second wicket after Shane Watson was dismissed by Ashish Nehra in the second over.
Cameron White (51) and Michael Hussey (73) held the innings in the middle overs, before the latter gave a late charge as Australia finished at 292 for eight.
The visitors would have crossed the 300-run target had it not been for the last over bowled by Ishant Sharma in which the medium-pacer gave just one runs and accounted for the wickets of Hussey and Brett lee.
Sharma (3-50), who had drawn flak for his lacklustre performance in the Champions Trophy, was the pick of the bowlers Sunday.
Ravindra Jadeja (1-39), fitting in the role of the fifth bowler, bowled a economical spell and contained the Australian batsmen in the middle overs.
In contrast, mainline off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (1-57) was far from convincing and got the stick.
Praveen Kumar, who was handed the new-ball, was disappointing and went for 77 runs in his quota of 10 overs. Kumar was wayward and lacked the pace to have any impact on the batsmen.
Nehra gave India the right start, trapping Shane Watson leg-before with a sharp incoming delivery.
It remained India's only success till the 19th over as Ponting along with newcomer Paine laid a strong foundation. Ponting, who struck eight fours and two sixes, batted with authority and was not hesitant to play his strokes. Paine grew in confidence watching the veteran play some beautiful shots through the off-side. Australia cruised to 50-runs in 8.5 overs.
Paine was dismissed by Sharma immediately after he reached his career's third half- century.
Ponting then added 49 runs with White, who took some time to adjust to the wicket. The Australian captain was well on course for a century when Jadeja reaped the reward of maintaining a good line, trapping him lbw.
Australia slowed down a bit after Ponting's fall and when Nehra dismissed White, who added 56 runs with Hussey, it seemed the visitors would not near the six-run per over mark.
But Hussey led the assault in the final overs. He stroked eight fours and one six for his 54-ball 73 to lift the Australian total.
