India claim one-day series in thrilling second final

BRISBANE – Sachin Tendulkar led India to the triangular one-day cricket title when they beat Australia in a thrilling second final yesterday.

The tourists made 258-9 in their 50 overs then restricted the home side to 249 to claim a thrilling nine-run win and take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the last of the three-match final Tendulkar, 34, led the batting with a fine 91 before newcomer Praveen Kumar tore through the Australian top order, claiming Adam Gilchrist, skipper Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke with just 32 runs on the board. “Once again we found ourselves three for 30 and behind the eight-ball,” a rueful Ponting said.Kumar came back at the death to bowl Brett Lee and finish the match with 4-46 from 10 overs to signal his arrival on the international scene, one of many young Indians to take their chances in this one-day series.”Most of those guys don’t have a secure place in this team right now,” Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.”But this win will give them ample confidence – the kind of security and assurance they need that they are part of the team.”Ultimately this will be the core of the (future Indian) team.”Australian all-rounder James Hopes led a rearguard action, scoring a career-high 63, but he kept losing batting partners and was the last man out when caught at mid-off trying to take the runs off the final over.India made a magnificent start in the field when Gilchrist, in what turned out to be his last innings for Australia, edged a ball from Kumar to wicketkeeper Dhoni to be out for just two.Kumar struck again in his next over when Ponting (1) tried to pull a shorter ball and spooned an easy catch to Yuvraj Singh at mid-on.Clarke (17) then followed after he lazily tried to pull a straight delivery only to see it crash into the top of off-stump, leaving Australia staggering at 32-3.Andrew Symonds (42) and Matthew Hayden (55) recovered brilliantly and got the Australians back on track until Hayden was run out with the hosts at 121.Symonds also proved his strength when he flattened a streaker who ran on the pitch part of the way through his knock.The match appeared as good as over when Harbhajan Singh trapped Symonds in front to leave Australia 123-5.Mike Hussey and Hopes set out on a rescue mission and put on 76 before Hussey feathered a Shanthakumaran Sreesanth delivery to Dhoni with Australia on 199.Although Hopes got Australia close, the task was always out of reach and the young Indian side celebrated wildly as their opponents ran out of deliveries.”Once we started to get the momentum back again with Hayden and Symonds, we lost one (wicket), then we lost two and all of a sudden all the momentum’s gone and India get a long way back in front of the game again,” Ponting said.India had been at 205-3 at one stage in their batting and heading for a score of 300-plus.But when an injury-hampered Tendulkar was dismissed for 91, the scoring rate slowed and Australia’s bowlers began to gain control.Tendulkar was well supported by Yuvraj (38), Dhoni (36) and Robin Uthappa (30), but India were at least 50 runs short of where they should have been.After 50 overs, their 258 may have been within the reach of the hosts but in the end it was just enough to earn them the series.Nampa-AFP”Once again we found ourselves three for 30 and behind the eight-ball,” a rueful Ponting said.Kumar came back at the death to bowl Brett Lee and finish the match with 4-46 from 10 overs to signal his arrival on the international scene, one of many young Indians to take their chances in this one-day series.”Most of those guys don’t have a secure place in this team right now,” Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.”But this win will give them ample confidence – the kind of security and assurance they need that they are part of the team.”Ultimately this will be the core of the (future Indian) team.”Australian all-rounder James Hopes led a rearguard action, scoring a career-high 63, but he kept losing batting partners and was the last man out when caught at mid-off trying to take the runs off the final over.India made a magnificent start in the field when Gilchrist, in what turned out to be his last innings for Australia, edged a ball from Kumar to wicketkeeper Dhoni to be out for just two.Kumar struck again in his next over when Ponting (1) tried to pull a shorter ball and spooned an easy catch to Yuvraj Singh at mid-on.Clarke (17) then followed after he lazily tried to pull a straight delivery only to see it crash into the top of off-stump, leaving Australia staggering at 32-3.Andrew Symonds (42) and Matthew Hayden (55) recovered brilliantly and got the Australians back on track until Hayden was run out with the hosts at 121.Symonds also proved his strength when he flattened a streaker who ran on the pitch part of the way through his knock.The match appeared as good as over when Harbhajan Singh trapped Symonds in front to leave Australia 123-5.Mike Hussey and Hopes set out on a rescue mission and put on 76 before Hussey feathered a Shanthakumaran Sreesanth delivery to Dhoni with Australia on 199.Although Hopes got Australia close, the task was always out of reach and the young Indian side celebrated wildly as their opponents ran out of deliveries.”Once we started to get the momentum back again with Hayden and Symonds, we lost one (wicket), then we lost two and all of a sudden all the momentum’s gone and India get a long way back in front of the game again,” Ponting said.India had been at 205-3 at one stage in their batting and heading for a score of 300-plus.But when an injury-hampered Tendulkar was dismissed for 91, the scoring rate slowed and Australia’s bowlers began to gain control.Tendulkar was well supported by Yuvraj (38), Dhoni (36) and Robin Uthappa (30), but India were at least 50 runs short of where they should have been.After 50 overs, their 258 may have been within the reach of the hosts but in the end it was just enough to earn them the series.Nampa-AFP