NEW DELHI, India: Titleholders India convincingly avenged with a 56run victory in the World Cup showdown between the top two groups a team’s here.

A crowd of nearly 40,000 cheering wildly as the Australians subsided to 233 all out in 49 overs, India had ‘made 289 for six from their 50 overs.

‘As a result of the win India edged to the top of the section on fractionally better run rate — 5.31 to Australia’s $20, Both teams have 12 points but India must now be favored to win the section and fulfill their ambition to play in the Bombay semifinal on November 5, rather than travel to Lahore to play the group B winners, probably Pakistan, the previous day.

Australia went into the match with five seam bowlers, including 20year‘old Andrew Zesters, making his international debut.

But although they bowled tidily ‘enough, innings of 63 by Dilip Vengsarkar, 61 by Sunil Gavaskar, 54 not out by man of the match Mohammad ‘Azharuddin and 51 by Navjot Sidhu censured a solid score for the title holders.

The early life that Allan Border was hoping for in the pitch after he won the toss was barely evident as openers Gavaskar and Krishna Srikkanth set off at a brisk pace against Simon ‘O’Donnell and Bruce Reid.

Srikkanth lowing drives and the all-round excellence of Gavaskar’s stroke play kept the score moving at a brisk rate until with $0 on the board in the 11th over, Craig McDermott came ‘on to remove Srikkanth with his second ball, looking to force ball through the covers, Srikkanth was caught behind.

Gavaskar and Sidhu saw the score 10 124 for one at the midway point of the innings, Gavaskar having just ‘completed his 26th one day 50, before being separated one run later. Gavaskar, trying to work O’Donnell down to third man, was surprised by the ball coming back on to him and was bowled leg stump for 61

Sidhu’s 50, his third of the competition, came off 68 balls with two fours. He perished soon afterwards, caught off McDermott, who then removed Kapil Dev to finish his sixth over with three wickets for 24.

His next four overs cost 37 as Vengsarkar, after a quiet opening, provided the acceleration that was to bring India 89 runs off the last 10 overs. Vengsarkar twice drove me ‘Dermott for six before he was not in the 46th aiming to hit Reid over extra cover.

Azharuddin gave the innings one last flourish, taking 10 runs off the final over to finish with $4 not out with one six and five fours.

After the undiluted diet of medium pace served up by Australia, India demonstrated! What they might have done with a top-class spinner like Maninder Singh. Maninder bowled marvelously to dismiss three of them. Four top Australian batsmen. The left ‘arm spinner now has nine wickets in the competition at just fewer than 16 runs apiece.

After Australian openers Geoff = Marsh and David Boon had put on 88 in 18 overs, it was Maninder who broke through by having Marsh stumped as he tried to repeat the drive for four he had executed off the previous ball, He was beaten in the light and off the pitch and more swooped for his fourth stumping of the tournament. N= DELHI, India: Latest group standings with run rates, in the World Cup cricket tournament GROUP A:

India 541 16 518 Australia 431 12 520 New Zealand 4 2 2 08 5.06 Zimbabwe 5 0 5 00 372

Remaining matches (all in India) —Oct 27 Australia V. New Zealand (Chandigarh), Oct. 30 Australia V. Zimbabwe (Cuttack), Oct.31 India y. New Zealand (Nagpur)

Group B:

Pakistan 5.5 0 20 508 England $3.2 12 S10 West Indies 5 2 3 08 S18 Sri Lanka 5 0 5 00 397

Remaining matches (in Pakistan unless stated) — Oct, 30 England V. Sri Lanka (Pune, India),

‘Semifinals:

Nov. 4 — winners Group B v. runners ‘up Group a (Lahore)

Nov. 5 — Winners Group a v, .sinners Group B (Bombay),

Finals Nov. 8 Calcutta,

Ravi Shastri, India’s other left arm spinner, dealt the next blow although Boon, whose muscular 62 had come off 59 balls, looked far from impressed by the caught behind decision.

Dean Jones and Border were now together and if Australia were going to win these two had to make substantial scores, Maninder did for them both. Border was magnificently caught near the cover boundary by Manoj Pra‘hakar and Jones also failed to keep down a ball from the left arm spinner.

Article extracted from this publication >>  October 30, 1987