Images from the 4th ODI played between India and Australia in Bengaluru on Thursday
The Indian juggernaut finally came to a grinding halt with Australia dishing out an exceptional performance in the death overs to win the fourth One Day International by 21 runs, in Bengaluru on Thursday.
The consolation win also snapped India's 9-match winning streak as the hosts could manage only 313 for 8 chasing a stiff victory target of 335.
India lead the five-match series 3-1 with the fifth and final ODI to be played in Nagpur on Sunday.
Courtesy David Warner's spectacular 124 in his 100th game, Australia put up a commanding score but it was the pace troika of Pat Cummins (1/59 in 10 overs), Kane Richardson (3/58 in 10 overs) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (2/56 in 10 overs), who delivered in the slog overs to stifle the Indian batsmen.
Manish Pandey (33) and Kedar Jadhav (65) added 61 runs for the fifth wicket but both paid for their indiscretion as their dismissals in quick succession brought Australia back in the match.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (13 off 10 balls) failed to connect majority of his deliveries, playing as many as six dot balls in the death overs, proving to be too costly.
Testimony to Australia's domination at the death was overs 47, 48, 49 and 50 that produced 6, 6, 5 and 7 runs respectively.
However, India's chase started in right earnest as Rohit Sharma (65 off 55 balls) and Ajinkya Rahane (53 off 66) adding 106 runs in 18.2 overs.
The duo played some classy shots -- especially Rohit, who hit as many as five effortless sixes compared to a boundary.
Rahane, at the other end, dropped anchor hitting six boundaries and a six with India in cruise control mode.
In the 19th over, Rahane failed to clear Aaron Finch off Kane Richardson delivery and Rohit was unfortunately run-out -- partly due to Steve Smith's brilliance in the field and a mix-up with skipper Virat Kohli.
Kohli (21) got set before he chopped the ball on to his stumps off Nathan Coulter-Nile for the second time in the series and India were suddenly in a spot of bother at 147 for 3.
Man-of-the-moment Hardik Pandya (41) was then joined by Jadhav and together they added 78 runs for the fourth wicket.
It was Pandya, who started to take on the bowling, especially leg-spinner Adam Zampa as he hit a boundary and three sixes.
Jadhav started slowly but then picked up pace and matched Pandya stroke for stroke.
Just when they had settled down with a nice partnership, Zampa dropped one short and Pandya was taken at long-off by Warner.
Earlier, David Warner hit a splendid century in his 100th ODI as Australia put up a commanding total of 334 for 5 against India in the penultimate encounter of the five-match series.
Warner (124 off 119 balls), who struck his 14th ODI hundred in his milestone match adding 231 for the opening stand with in-form Aaron Finch (94).
Australia were looking good for a total close to 400 but the Indian rallied with a string of wickets in the final 15 overs in which the visitors could manage only 103 runs.
Umesh Yadav was the pick of the bowlers despite being expensive -- of 4 for 71 in 10 overs.
Kedar Jadhav (1/38 in 7 overs) also did his bit to put brakes on the scoring after the openers raised visions of a mammoth total.
Warner hit 12 boundaries and four sixes while Finch, who hit 10 boundaries and three sixes off 96 balls, missed out on a well-deserved hundred.
Their dismissals in quick succession did put a halt on the scoring rate before Peter Handscomb's 43 off 30 balls and Marcus Stoinis's cameo (15 no off 9 balls) propped the Aussies past the 330-run mark.
Jadhav started it all by enticing Warner to go for a lofted shot which went straight to Axar Patel at long on and then next two wickets of skipper Steve Smith (3) and Finch were bagged by Yadav.
Smith's was Yadav's 100th ODI victim.
The stage was set for Australia to go after the Indian bowling, comfortably placed at 248 for three in 40 overs but Travis Head (29 off 38 balls) struggled during the back-10, enabling India curtail the Australian total by 20 runs.
Head was holed out by Ajinkya Rahane at the deep square leg fence off Yadav.
Handscomb was cleaned up by Yadav after he scored 43 balls off 30 balls with three boundaries and one six.
Mathew Wade (3) and Stoinis remained unbeaten.
Earlier, a fluent approach by both Warner and Finch provided Australia a record first wicket partnership of 231 off 201 balls, beating the previous record of 212 scripted by Geoff Marsh and David Boon against India in Jaipur in 1986.
Their partnership was also the highest at Bengaluru, beating the previous best of 183 scored by Brad Haddin and Shane Watson against Canada in a 2011 World Cup match.
