India stun Aussies to seal tri-series

BRISBANE—Hayden’s run-out changed the complexion of the match once again India completed a memorable nine-run win over world champions Australia to seal the Commonwealth Bank Series 2-0.
Sachin Tendulkar played another sublime innings, with seven fours in 91 as his team made 258-9 after choosing to bat. Under the lights, Praveen Kumar (4-46) found swing and Adam Gilchrist, in his last game, departed third ball for two. Matt Hayden (55) and Andrew Symonds put on 89, both fell in one Harbhajan Singh over, and though James Hopes hit 61 his team could not get 13 in the last over.
India’s total should have been more formidable, after Tendulkar and Robin Uthappa gave them an excellent platform with an opening stand of 94 inside 21 overs. Tendulkar, whose marvellous unbeaten 117 orchestrated India’s win in the first match, was denied a 43rd one-day century when he mis-timed one from left-arm spinner Michael Clarke (3-52) to short mid-on in the 40th over.
The final 10 overs produced only 51 runs as five wickets went down. Tendulkar worked the ball around masterfully again The crowd had come in anticipation of a Gilchrist blitz, with the expectation of taking the series to a decider in Adelaide. But the dazzling left-hander, having punched his second delivery off the back foot for two, tried a similar shot next up and feathered a catch to keeper Mahendra Dhoni. Typically, he did not wait for a decision from the umpire and left the international arena for the final time.
Normal service appeared to have been resumed when Hayden thumped a brutal straight drive past Sree Santh to the boundary, but in Kumar’s next over another key wicket fell. Ricky Ponting, who had played on with an inside edge into the stumps when playing the pull shot, attempted a similar stroke and spooned a catch low to mid-on. That made it 8-2 and it might have been worse for Australia. Michael Clarke survived a ferocious appeal for lbw first ball, and Hayden was dropped on five by Dhoni, who could only deflect the edge off Santh painfully into the shoulder of Tendulkar at slip, causing the “Little Master” to leave the field for treatment.
But with the final ball of the ninth over Clarke was another to succumb to the pull shot when a delivery from Kumar did not bounce as he thought it would, went under the horizontal bat but still clipped the top of off-stump. With his two old adversaries, Hayden and Symonds at the crease, Harbhajan was brought on to bowl the 18th over, hoping for a repeat of Sunday when he dismissed them both in quick succession. The rate climbed above a run a ball with over half the innings remaining, but Irfan Pathan was expensive - not helped by four overthrows - and the 100 came up with 14 runs from the 23rd over. The partnership was already established on 76 when Piyush Chawla was introduced in the 25th over, and a first ball long-hop was swiped many rows back over long-on for six by Symonds.
But the pivotal moment came in the next, when Symonds, who had earlier pushed away a male streaker, pushed a delivery on off-stump into the covers and thought of a single, only to send Hayden back. Yuvraj swooped and sent in a perfect throw to the stumps, where Harbhajan took great delight in taking the bails off, sending a fuming Hayden back to the pavilion.
Incredibly he then dislodged Symonds again two balls later, skidding one on to trap him on the back pad in front of middle stump. That left the Indian team in jubilant mood, but as ever, the Aussies refused to capitulate and Mike Hussey recorded a fifty stand in 68 balls with James Hopes.
The pair took Australia to within 60 runs of victory with 49 balls before Hussey got an inside edge off Santh low to Dhoni, who took a neat catch despite being plagued by numerous bruised and battered fingers. Umpire Simon Taufel referred the decision to the third official, and after an agonising delay Hussey was finally given out. Still Hopes remained eternal, with successive boundaries, but Kumar returned to deceive Brett Lee and leave the requirement at 31 from 20 balls with three wickets remaining.
Santh ousted Mitchell Johnson but Hopes smashed him for six in the penultimate over. Irfan Pathan had the responsbility of the final over and his two wickets condemned Australia to another defeat, following England’s 2-0 win in the competition last year.—Agencies