India-Aus final ODI abandoned, hosts win series 1-0

STAFF WRITER 15:33 HRS IST

Margao, Oct 24 (PTI) The third and final ODI between India and Australia was today abandoned without a ball being bowled due to wet outfield caused by overnight rains to give the hosts a 1-0 series victory, their first in over two decades.

With the abandonment of today's ODI, the second such case in the three-match series, Australia returned home without winning a single game in their tour of India. They had lost the two-match Test series 0-2 before the ODI series.

India had beaten Australia by five wickets in the second ODI at Visakhapatnam on October 20 while the first match in Kochi on October 17 was washed out.

India thus notched up their first ever whitewash of Australia in both Test and ODI series in the same tour.

Rajasthan Royals to appeal in Bombay HC on Monday

MUMBAI: Rajasthan Royals is set to file an appeal in the Bombay High Court on Monday against the Board of Control for Cricket's October 10 order throwing it out of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Royals, which won the 2008 IPL tournament, had its contract terminated after BCCI charged that it had changed its shareholding pattern without taking the consent of the board or the IPL governing council.

The promoters of Rajasthan Royals have now retained Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve to argue their case. Salve, who was out of the country, returned late on Saturday and is learnt to have met Royals co-owner Manoj Badale in New Delhi. Following the meeting, it was decided to go to court.

When contacted, Badale told TOI, "As a group of overseas investors promoting Indian cricket, I still fail to see what we have done wrong. We will now have to put our full faith in the legal system."

Ranjit Barthakur, chairman of Jaipur IPL Pvt Ltd, said; "As an early promoter of Indian cricket, I am saddened the situation has come to this. Manoj and I have made multiple attempts to meet the BCCI without success. So, legal recourse is the only option." Salve, despite several attempts, was unavailable for comment.

Suresh Chellaram, a 44% stakeholder in the franchise, is suspended IPL chief Lalit Modi's brother-in-law. However, when asked, BCCI chief Shashank Manohar had insisted, "The decision to sack Royals has not been taken because of any individual."

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