India have boosted their confidence ahead of Sunday’s opening one-day game against Australia, levelling the Twenty20 series with the home side 1-1.
India bowled Australia out for 131 in 19.4 overs and scored 2-135 in reply with two balls to spare at the MCG on Friday night.
Gautam Gambhir was unbeaten on 56 and skipper MS Dhoni 21 not out.
India’s work-rate and enthusiasm in the field, which had been so clearly lacking in the Test series which Australia claimed four-nil, was the standout feature of Australia’s innings.
Aaron Finch (36) and Matthew Wade (32) were two of Australia’s four run-out victims.
Ravindra Jadeja, who was named man of the match after taking 1-16 off three overs and running out George Bailey for three, said the tourists would take great confidence from the win.
“It’s good that it has happened at the MCG where we would play our first one-day international on Sunday,” the spinner said through a team spokesman.
“We would take heart from this win. We now know these conditions and it would give us confidence.”
Australia will host world champions India and World Cup finalists Sri Lanka for a triangular one-day series.
Australia T20 skipper Bailey admitted the tourists had a real spring in their step Friday night.
“They’re a very good fielding side with some of those new guys who have come into the Twenty20 and one-day teams,” Bailey said.
“Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli’s a very good fielder, Ravindra Jadeja’s a very good fielder. There’s a different energy in this Indian side in the shorter format.
“It certainly would have been nice to keep them win-less before the one-day series.
“They outplayed us tonight.
“But it’s probably a little surprising that it has taken this long into a tour for India to get their first win up.”
Bailey said wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who scored 72 as an opener on Wednesday in Sydney and 32 at No.6 in a low-scoring game on Friday, had been one of the success stories of the week.
He said Wade would get more chances to bat at the top of the order in the build-up to the T20 world cup in Sri Lanka in September.
“We’ve also got some players out in Shane Watson, Mike Hussey and Patrick Cummins,” Bailey said.
“At some stage you have to start to knuckle down, not only the guys that you want but also the roles that you want them to play.
“This week worked really well in terms of having a look at some different people.”