It was one over, the 48th, that turned the match when Faulkner dispatched Ishant Sharma for 30 runs.
Faulkner took Australia to a four-wicket victory that couldn’t have been conceived before that effort.
Winning the toss and bowling first, no doubt fearing another epic chase from India, the hosts put a solid 9-303 on the board courtesy of their mercurial skipper MS Dhoni.
The captain-keeper was called into action with his side 4-76 and compiled 139 not out on a seaming Mohali deck.
Faulkner’s left-arm quicks earlier were entrusted with the final over, to which Dhoni helped himself to 21 runs.
But it would be Faulkner who took man of the match, batting at number eight in a seventh-wicket partnership worth 91 run with ever-reliable Adam Voges – he scored an excellent 76.
Mitchell Johnson earlier ripped through India’s middle order India’s middle order and potentially destructive spinner Ravi Ashwin with 4-46 and giving keeper Brad Haddin three of his five catches for the match.
Phil Hughes and Aaron Finch got good starts for Australia, but Hughes miscued a late cut to Dhoni’s gloves for 22 while Finch was given wrongly LBW for 38.
Shane Watson never quite got going, out for 11, but skipper George Bailey cruised to 43 steadying the ship as he does before falling LBW to Vinay Kumar after adding 83 with Voges.
When Glenn Maxwell was run out the Aussies required 130 from 13 overs.
There was batting talent in the bank though.
Haddin for one, who hit a valuable 24 off 16 balls.
With 91 off 53 needed as confident Faulkner came in, it was long odds.
Before that 48th over, the Aussies needed 44 from 18 balls.
The Aussies showed great restraint in the penultimate over, taking five singles, and then needed nine from the last.
Then, with six needed from four, Faulkner sent Vinay Kumar’s no-bouncer over the fence.
The sides will do it all again on Wednesday in Ranchi.
Image via Getty
(Please excuse the lack of live images from Punjab – send letters of complaint to the spoilsports at the BCCI)
