2nd ODI: Kohli, Raina power India to 5-wicket win over Australia

VISAKHAPATNAM: Young Virat Kohli overcame a bout of cramps to make a career-best 118 as India posted a thrilling five-wicket win over Australia in the second one-day international on Wednesday.


The 21-year-old hit one six and 11 fours in his third hundred to help India achieve a stiff 290-run target with seven balls to spare in the day-night game for a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The opening match was washed out due to rain. The third and final international will be played in Goa on Sunday.

Kohli upstaged Australia captain Michael Clarke, who scored an unbeaten 111 for his fifth one-day hundred, helping his side post a big total.

Australian paceman Clint McKay jolted India with two quick wickets before Kohli and Yuvraj Singh (58) steadied the innings with a 137-run stand for the third wicket.

Batting with a runner because of leg cramps in the later part of his innings, Kohli was also involved in an 84-run stand for the fourth wicket with Suresh Raina, who smashed one six and nine fours in his 47-ball 71 not out.

McKay took three wickets and debutant paceman John Hastings two.

Clarke earlier played a key role in boosting Australia as he added 144 for the third wicket with Mike Hussey (69) and 129 for the unfinished fourth with Cameron White (89 not out).

White hammered six sixes and as many fours in his 49-ball knock as the tourists plundered 84 runs in the last five overs.

Australia were struggling at 16-2 after being put in to bat before Clarke and Hussey steadied the innings.

Clarke completed his century in the 46th over, hitting paceman Vinay Kumar for two successive fours and then turning the next ball to mid-wicket for a single. He cracked one six and seven fours in his 138-ball knock.

Hussey was trapped leg-before by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin after hitting seven fours, but not before setting the stage for a closing-overs onslaught.

Left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra did the early damage when he dismissed openers Shaun Marsh and Tim Paine in his opening four overs.

India had to work hard for their next success as Clarke and Hussey paced their innings remarkably well, taking no risks and relying more on singles and twos to keep the scoreboard moving.

India and Australia rested top players for the series to test their bench strength ahead of next year's World Cup.

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Kochi investors fail to form JV, seek 10 more days from BCCI

MUMBAI: The future of the Kochi franchise of the Indian Premier League remains uncertain. The franchise managed to submit a reply to the BCCI before the deadline of 6pm on Wednesday to incorporate their joint venture elapsed. However, the shareholders have merely sought more time from the board to resolve their dispute.

The Kochi investors have submitted to BCCI that they need time (approximately another 10 days) to bring changes in their shareholding pattern. They have thus put the ball back in BCCI's court.

"Our legal team is going through it (Kochi's reply)," top BCCI officials said on Wednesday evening about the Kochi reply. The board, it is learnt, is looking at legal implications if it decides to grant Kochi an extension.

Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, the franchisees that were recently axed, are bound to protest if Kochi does get an extension. Further, allowing changes in the Kochi franchise's shareholding pattern would mean allowing it to do exactly what the board had held against the two expelled franchises.

Over the last two months, the Kochi investors had met several times to resolve their internal dispute but failed to do so. However, the last 24 hours seem to have made them see the issue in a different light when they all unanimously agreed to the bigger picture that the franchise was slipping out of hand.

Therefore, backed with a horde of legal advisors, the Kochi investors and the sweat equity holders met at an undisclosed location in Mumbai and are learnt to have come to certain agreements in changing the shareholding pattern. "The only way they could reach a solution to their internal problems is by making the Gaikwads listen to their demands. So, if there's finally a patch-up, that means the Gaikwads have relented," said another official. The proposed idea is likely to have been submitted to the board.

The Gaikwads partly own the 25% free sweat equity held by Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd (RSWPL) that includes Kisan, Shailendra and Pushpa Gaikwad, Puja Gulathi, Jayant Kotalwar, Vishnu Prasad and Sundip Agarwal. Apart from this, Shailendra Gaikwad also holds 1% paid up equity.

The bone of contention was that the remaining investors didn't want the Gaikwads to hold such a huge stake which would give them a larger say in the team affairs.

The Kochi franchise, jointly owned by RSWPL, Anchor Earth Private Ltd, Parinee Developers, Anand Shyam Estates, Film Waves Combine and Vivek Venugopal, was bought at $333.333m, making it IPL's second costliest team. As per the 10-year contract, the franchise would earn BCCI a minimum of $33.33m per year which, as one official pointed, is far more than Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab put together.

TOI