Aussie media lauds series win against India

A defiant performance by an injury-hit Australia brought accollades from the local media for the national team which secured a series win against India with still a match to go in Mumbai.

Australia arrived in India with a depleted side with some of its frontline players missing out due to injuries and as the tour progressed the casualties kept on increasing.

But the visitors played exceptionally well with a second string team that pocketed the seven-match series at Guwahati yesterday with a thumping six-wicket win.

Australia now leads the series 4-2 and there is still a day/night match to go in Mumbai on Wednesday.

The series win also meant that the World Champions will stay atop the ICC ODI rankings as India needed to win the the series to overthrow the Australians from top of the ladder.

''Courageous Australia remain cricket's one-day kings after crushing upstart rivals India in a ruthless show of strength,'' reported the 'Courier Mail'.

''India's bold ambition to send Ricky Ponting's men home without the number one ranking proved hollow with Australia's six-wicket victory sealing the series and one-day bragging rights,'' it added.

Leading daily the 'Herald Sun' said the series win by Ponting's men would be more devastating to Indian psyche as it had come with a ''virtual Australia A side''.

''Dhoni's side will be licking its wounds for a while after being bashed by a virtual Australia 'A' side, short of frontline names but big on heart,'' it said.

''The loss of Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, Tim Paine, James Hopes and Moises Henriques only served to galvanise Ponting's unit. Australia has depth in young talent who will not only hold the line as reinforcements but win battles of their own,'' the daily further added.

'The Age' lauded Ponting's men for keeping Australia's 13-year undefeated ODI series run in India intact.

''Australia will fly out this week with both its number one ranking and 13-year unbeaten run in one-day series intact, after taking an unassailable 4-2 lead over India,'' wrote Jesse Hogan for 'The Age'.

''Forty-five minutes of lethal new-ball bowling from Doug Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson paved the way for the six-wicket win at the Nehru Stadium at Guwahati,'' he added.

-- (UNI) -- 09SPD10.xml

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