India’s Murali Kartik destroyed the high-flying Australian batting for a measly 193 with a devastating career-best spell of spin bowling in the seventh and final cricket one-dayer here on Wednesday.Kartik, who grabbed two wickets off successive balls to be on a hat-trick twice, sent the visitors to their doom in the dead-rubber tie with a six-wicket haul to bring back memories of a similar display against the same opposition in a similar series-winding Test contest almost three years ago.
Australia, choosing to bat first, were shot out in only 41.3 overs with Kartik grabbing a magical 6 for 27, his first-ever haul of more than three wickets in 33 ODIs, bettering his previous best of 3 for 36 against the West Indies at Jodhpur in November, 2002.
The bowler had taken seven wickets, including three at a crucial time in the second innings when the top team in the world chased 107 and were shot out for 93, on November 5, 2004 at the same venue and secured the man of the match award on that occasion.
The 31-year-old Railways bowler, recalled to the squad midway through the series at the insistence of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, removed Brad Hodge (16) and Andrew Symonds (0) off successive balls in the last two balls of his second over to bring the Australians down a bit after they went into the match aiming for a 5-1 score-line in the rubber.
After being denied a hat-trick in the first ball of his third over, Kartik struck three big blows in his eighth over, off the first, fourth and fifth balls, to get rid off Brad Haddin (19), Brad Hogg and Brett Lee, both for ducks, to leave the tourists gasping at 162 for eight in the 32nd over.
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