Bang-galore: Rohit Sharma's fireworks give India series win

BANGALORE: Rohit Sharma was always reckoned to be a special talent, and the rapturous Diwali holiday crowd marvelled at the pristine quality of his classy double century on Saturday.

 The knock virtually knocked the stuffing out of a flummoxed Australian team in the seventh and final ODI at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The 57-run win gave India a 3-2 series win though the massive and unexpected resistance from the Australian ninth wicket pair of James Faulkner (116; 73b,11x4, 6x6) and Clint McKay (18) spread panic through the Indian ranks. Their 115-run partnership in just 89 balls was a credit to the never-say-die spirit of the Australians, whose response to India's mammoth 383 was rousing.

Local lad Vinay Kumar (9-0-102-1) was taken to the cleaners, but Shami Ahmed, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja struck telling blows and made the difference.

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com