Australia were swamped in a deluge of runs before sliding to an immense defeat by India in the second one day match at Nagpur.

India carved 7-354 – their highest ever 50-over total against Australia – then bowled the tourists out for 255 to win by 99 runs and level the seven-match series at 1-1.

Home skipper MS Dhoni (124, 107 balls) made the most of visiting captain Ricky Ponting’s decision to invite him to bat first and set about repaying his opposite number’s generosity with a century that was first deft then destructive.

Combative No. 3 Gautam Gambhir (76) offered substance and placement, while Virender Sehwag (40) provided a suitably explosive start and Suresh Raina (62) was cool at the finish.

On a pitch full of runs, Australia’s bowlers were innocuous apart from the wholehearted Peter Siddle (1-55).

The tourists were able to choose Mitchell Johnson for the match due to his rapid recovery from an ankle problem, and by the end of a stint returning figures of 10-0-75-3 he may have regretted his hurried return.

Australia’s response stumbled in the early overs against the seam and bounce of Praveen Kumar (2-37) and Ishant Sharma (2-34), then staggered to a halt against the left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja (3-35).

Ponting’s decision to field – at the toss Dhoni said he would have done the same – was based largely upon the suspicion that the evening air would produce a dewy surface to complicate life for all bowlers.

But he ran the very real risk of exposing his understrength attack to a flat pitch, fast outfield and hungry batsmen, and so it was to prove.

Despite the fall of regular wickets in the first half of the Indian innings, the scoring rate stayed comfortably above a-run-a-ball.

At 3-97, Gambhir then found a willing ally in his captain, and together they set about building the base for a later assault.

Despite not indulging in too many risks, the pair added 119 in fewer than 19 overs, and looked good for more when Nathan Hauritz swooped from mid off to run out Gambhir after Dhoni gave a return chance that was narrowly missed by Siddle.

Needing a perfect start, the Australians instead made a poor one as Tim Paine (eight), Shane Watson (19) then Ponting (12) were defeated.

Paine and Ponting were done by Kumar deliveries that seamed back at them, while Watson was unable to ride the steep bounce of Sharma and fended to slip.

Mike Hussey (53) and Cameron White (23) attempted a recovery but White was bogged down and eventually chipped a catch to midwicket, while Hussey’s half century was cut short by a Jadeja delivery that ripped out of the footmarks to uproot leg stump.

The rest melted away under the glare of the lights, only Adam Voges (36) and Nathan Hauritz (30no) hinting any resistance.

© AAP 2012

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