Wriddhiman Saha

Chennai: Riding a good batting display by the middle-order, India A notched up a three wicket win over Australia A in their last league match of the triangular series at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing a target of 273, India scored 277 for seven with four overs to spare after captain Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma laid the foundation with a fourth wicket partnership of 85 runs from 83 balls.

India were helped by useful knocks from Yousuf Pathan, debutant Ravi Teja, wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and Piyush Chawla’s 25. India ended the league phase with 13 points and Australia nine.

The match was inconsequential with both teams already in Friday's final.

Earlier, Australia piled up 272 thanks to a fine 74 by in-form batsman David Hussey and unbeaten knocks from Phillip Hughes and Ashely Noffke, with 72 runs coming in the last ten overs. For India, Chawla and Praveen Kumar were the chief wicket-takers.

Australia made one change resting their key bowler Shaun Tait while India brought in Jayadev Shah, Teja and Saha in place of S. Badrinath, who is playing in the Irani Trophy, opener Swapnil Asnodkar and Dinesh Karthik, respectively.

Hussey, who scored 78 gainst New Zealand in their last match, was in good nick again as he middled the ball with ease and punished the bowlers, hitting two sixes and eight boundaries facing just 67 balls.

He added 96 runs for the second wicket with Marcus North, while Hughes (4x4) and Noffke (3x4, 1x6) realised 47 vital runs off 46 balls for the unbroken seventh wicket.

India began on a shaky note with opener Robin Uthappa (7) failing again, but Shah and Teja applied themselves well.

However, both of them got out in the space of three overs, Shah holing out to Hughes at mid-off and Teja to Adam Voges at mid wicket.

(PTI)