Dhoni century in vain as Faulkner blitz gives Australia win over India

Dhoni century in vain as Faulkner blitz gives Australia win over India

• India 303-9; Australia 304-6
• Australia win by four wickets; lead seven-game series 2-1

A brilliant 139 not out by Indian captain MS Dhoni turned out not to be enough after Australia chased down a total of 303 to win the second one-day international in Mohali.

A composed 76 not out by Adam Voges along with a brutal late onslaught from all-rounder James Faulkner, who hit an undefeated 64 off just 39 balls, secured the win for the touring side, giving them a 2-1 lead in the seven-game series.

India's bowling again left plenty to be desired (they have allowed totals of over 300 in each of the three games thus far) with Ishant Sharma in particular coming in for some harsh treatment – he conceded 63 from his eight overs as the Australians made the required runs with three balls to spare.

Dhoni looked to have put his team in a strong position, anchoring the Indian innings with his superb century, coming in at 76-4 after Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh had been dismissed in successive balls, and heroes of the previous game Rohit Sharma and Shikar Dhawan were both out relatively cheaply.

Dhoni himself should have been out on 105, but Australian skipper George Bailey dropped an easy catch in the covers off the bowling of Shane Watson. Virat Kohli contributed India's only other significant score, stroking an attractive 68 before being caught behind off spinner Glenn Maxwell.

Australia's run-chase began well, with Aaron Finch and Phil Hughes putting on 68 for the first wicket, but a flurry of wickets and a tight spell of 1-31 from Ravi Jadeja saw the innings stall. Bailey and Voges stabilised things, but with 42 required from the last three overs, it looked in vain.

However, Sharma was reintroduced into the attack, and Faulker blasted a remarkable 30 runs – including four sixes and one four – from the 48th over. The assault was all the more impressive, considering Faulker's own bowling had been taken apart in the Indian innings, particularly by Dhoni who took 32 off his final two overs.

"Faulkner's hitting was as good as I have seen," said Bailey after the game.

"If I could learn to catch, we would have been chasing 20-30 less from MS. The bowling was fantastic, particularly after the other day. 300 is always imposing, but we were quietly confident when we came off the field."

The umpiring from Richard Kettlebrough and Chettithody Shamsuddin caused a few raised eyebrows, with Shane Watson's dismissal – LBW to Jadeja – notably suspect.