India's Manoj Tiwari Faces Brett Lee's Fiery Test in Tri-Series Opener

The 2008 Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series was a highly anticipated cricket tournament featuring India, Australia, and Sri Lanka. India, fresh off their inaugural T20 World Cup victory in 2007, was determined to make a statement in this series.

The opening match of the ODI series pitted the ODI Champions, Australia, against the T20 Champions, India. India opted to bat first, facing a formidable Australian bowling attack led by Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, and Nathan Bracken.

India's batting lineup boasted the likes of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, and Rohit Sharma. However, the Indian openers fell early to Bracken and Lee. Lee then dismissed Tendulkar through a hit wicket, leaving India reeling at 28/3.

Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir steadied the innings, taking the score to 92 before Gambhir was dismissed. Manoj Tiwari, playing his first international ODI in Australia, joined Sharma at the crease.

Sharma soon fell to Lee, bringing MS Dhoni to bat alongside Tiwari. Tiwari faced a baptism of fire, encountering a barrage of short-pitched deliveries from Lee. The first ball he faced was a 145 km/h bouncer, followed by another at 144 km/h. Tiwari managed to block the third ball, a 149.2 km/h delivery, but ducked under the fourth.

The fifth delivery, bowled at 145 km/h, was hit towards point, but Michael Clarke dived to stop it, allowing Tiwari to grab a single. In the subsequent over, Tiwari faced another bouncer from Lee and ducked it. The next ball, a yorker, broke through his defense as his leg did not move, resulting in his dismissal.

Tiwari faced 16 balls and scored 2 runs before being bowled by Lee. The match was later interrupted by rain and eventually washed out.

Despite the disappointing result, India's performance in the Tri-Series was a testament to their resilience and determination. The team showed great character in fighting back after a poor start, and they will be looking to build on this experience in future tournaments.

Tags: #CommonwealthBankTriSeries, #India, #Australia, #SriLanka, #Cricket