Kuldeep hat-trick and Bhuvneshwar floors Australia

Kuldeep Yadav became only the third Indian to register a hat-trick in ODIs.

India 252 (Kohli 92, Rahane 55, Coulter-Nile 3-51, Richardson 3-55) beat Australia 202 (Stoinis 62*, Smith 59, Bhuvneshwar 3-9, Kuldeep 3-54) by 50 runs

Kolkata: Captain Virat Kohli (92) and Ajiyanka Rahane (55) laid the platform before the bowlers helps India 50-run win over Australia at Eden Garden, Kolkata on Thursday.

Australia were anyway staring down the barrel when they lost half the side for 138. Steven Smith, the only batter to have unhinged India, was back in the pavilion. The onus rested on all-rounders Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis. They needed 114 off 121. It was gettable.

Kuldeep Yadav was the only unsuccessful and expensive bowler thus far. He had leaked runs over 6 and that too without a wicket. However, forms and fortunes do not take time to change their courses.

First, Kuldeep managed to find an inside edge off Wade’s bat and onto the stumps. In came Ashton Agar, their last hope to stitch a partnership. Kuldeep tossed up so much so that Agar got into his shot early, getting trapped lbw. The momentum that once was hanging in between now sat comfortably on India’s side.

Virat Kohli summoned his men around the bat. One more wicket, and India will have their first hat-trick since 1991 in the format. At the strike was Pat Cummins.

Coming over the wicket, Kuldeep pitched on off and spun it away using his wrong ‘un. Cummins, not sure of his strokeplay, held his bat straight only to edge it to MS Dhoni. And thus became Kuldeep only the third Indian to register a hat-trick.

Marcus Stoinis gave his all to hold fort, but it was too late for resurrection. India won the second ODI by 50 runs, leading 5-match series 2-0.

Earlier, fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile helped Australia bowl out India for 252 despite a fluent 92 by Indian skipper.

The hosts depended on a 102-run second-wicket stand between Kohli and Rahane, who made 55, to start strongly before the Australian bowlers struck back.

Fast bowlers Coulter-Nile and Kane Richardson claimed three wickets each for the visitors, who lost the first in the five-match series in Chennai.

Coulter-Nile claimed opener Rohit Sharma caught and bowled for seven, but had to wait to get his next two as Indian batsmen scored freely.

Rahane's run out started the turnaround for the visitors and Ashton Agar soon bowled Manish Pandey for three to halt India's progress.

Coulter-Nile came back for his second spell to get Kedar Jadhav out for 24 and end another dangerous-looking stand with Kohli at the other end.

He finally got Kohli's prized wicket to deny the star batsman his 31st ODI ton. Kohli chopped a swinging delivery onto his stumps.

Richardson, who replaced James Faulkner in the starting lineup, got into the act after sending Mahendra Singh Dhoni trudging back to the pavilion as India slipped to 204-6.

First match hero Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar - the two scored 20 runs each - tried hard to put up some crucial runs in the final overs but Richardson cut short their efforts.