India maintain perfect record with comprehensive 73-run victory over Australia

 
GETTY
Andy Hodgson30 March 2014

India maintained their perfect record at the World Twenty20 with a thumping 73-run win over Australia in Dhaka.

Australia found out they were eliminated from the tournament just before the match, when Pakistan expectedly beat Bangladesh, but a terrible batting performance prevented them from gaining any consolation.

George Bailey's winless side were bowled out for 86 - with Ravichandran Ashwin taking four for 11 - after India had been restricted to a reachable 159 for seven.

Yuvraj Singh's 60 was the best of the Indian batting performance, after they were sent in to bat for the first time in the tournament.

India had already sealed their progress to the semi-finals with three successive wins, which relied on their top-order doing the bulk of the scoring, but they had to rebuild from 66 for four to set up the match.

Yuvraj did the majority of the recovery work, alongside skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (24), as they combined in an 84-run stand from 42 balls.

Yuvraj hit four sixes and five boundaries in his 43-ball innings - to press his claims for a place in the semi-finals - but he and Dhoni both fell inside the final two overs during which India only added 12.

With Australia's powerful batting line-up that target appeared well within their reach.

Australia coach Darren Lehmann had criticised the top order in the lead-up to the match, but again they failed to fire.

This time it was a spectacular collapse which underlined why India are favourites for their second World Twenty20 title.

David Warner (19) and the in-form Glenn Maxwell (23) were the only batsmen inside the top six to reach double figures before Ashwin removed both to reckless strokes.

That was the story of Australia's skittish batting as they were bowled out in 16.2 overs.

In amongst the collapse Shane Watson (one) again failed, bowled attempting to late-cut Mohit Sharma, to leave him with just seven runs in the tournament.

Watson was the leading runscorer at the previous World Twenty20 when Australia reached the semi-finals.

Ashwin fittingly ended the match when he had young Australia leg-spinner James Muirhead caught behind by Dhoni.

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