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Brisbane: Australia: India ended a tumultuous tour with a dramatic, Sachin Tendulkar-inspired 2-0 limited-overs finals series win over World Cup champion Australia.
Tendulkar posted 91 in India's 258 for nine after winning the toss and batting, following his match-winning 117 not out in the first final at Sydney.
Praveen Kumar took 4-46, including Adam Gilchrist (2) and Ricky Ponting (1) to have Australia reeling at 8-2 before the hosts forced it into the last over.
Irfan Pathan sealed the nine-run win, removing Nathan Bracken (1) and ending James Hopes' defiant 63-run knock in four balls as Australia was bowled out for 249 in 49.4 overs.
India dominated in stages and took wickets in batches to stem Australia's momentum.
Harbhajan Singh removed both Matthew Hayden (55) and Andrew Symonds (42) within a few balls to end an innings-salvaging fourth-wicket partnership, leaving just too much for Hopes and the tailenders.
Hopes hit a six in the penultimate over, leaving Australia needing 14 runs from six balls to level the series and force a third-match in Adelaide.
But Pathan held his nerve, taking his first wickets of the finals series to spark Indian jubilation after a long tour that included a test-series loss to Australia and the tri-series that also involved Sri Lanka.
The late finishing cricket season seemed to have the Australians confused, with Michael Clarke tackling Tendulkar to the ground as he tried to field a ball during India's innings and Symonds clobbering a nude streaker with a shoulder charge.
Gilchrist's last international match ended disappointingly when he feathered Kumar to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the third ball.
Skipper Ponting mistimed a pull shot off the same bowler to mid-on two overs later to end his frustrating summer and have Australia reeling at 8-2.
Clarke survived a confident appeal for lbw next ball and Hayden was dropped when he edged Sreesanth and Dhoni put down a chance as he dived in front of first slip and deflected a ball onto the point of Tendulkar's shoulder.
Tendulkar left the field immediately and did not return.
Kumar got some revenge when he bowled Clarke for 17 in the ninth over to have Australia in trouble at 32-3.
One of the strangest incidents in a contentious tour occurred soon after Symonds walked to the crease. A naked streaker ran onto the field and toward Symonds at the non-striker's end when the Australian allrounder shoulder-charged him to the ground.
The streaker was escorted from the field and faces a fine and a charge of willful exposure from Queensland state police.
Symonds could face a serious suspension if the International Cricket Council charges him under section 4.2 of the player's code of conduct that relates to physical assaults on rival players, officials or spectators.
Putting that aside, Symonds and Hayden restored the innings with an 89-run partnership before both were out in the space of four balls.
Hayden was run out for 55 at the non-striker's end after mix-up when Symonds prodded forward and looked to take a single.
Harbhajan trapped Symonds lbw and Australia slipped from 121-3 to 123-5.
Mike Hussey (44) and Hopes put on 76 for the sixth wicket to lift the total to 199 in the 42nd over before Hussey got a feint under edge to Sreesanth and was caught behind.
"All credit has to go the Indians for the way they played over the last week _ they deserve the trophy," said Ponting, who put down a difficult chance when Tendulkar was on 7 in a chance that could have altered the outcome.
Tendulkar shared a 94-run opening stand with Robin Uthappa (30) and a 54-run partnership for the third wicket with Yuvraj Singh, who returned to form with 38 from 33 balls.
But he was out nine runs short of a 43rd ODI century when he Ponting held a diving catch at short mid-on off Clarke's bowling.
The Australian pacemen had difficulty containing the Indian top order on a pitch ideally suited to batting, with Ponting relying on part-timer Clarke for 10 overs. He returned 3-52.
Bracken hit back in his last two overs, removing Irfan Pathan (12) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (36) in the 48th over and Praveen Kumar (7) in the last to finish with 3-31.
SCOREBOARD
India
Sachin Tendulkar c Ponting b Clarke 91
Robin Uthappa c Hopes b Clark 30
Gautam Gambhir c Johnson b Clarke 15
Yuvraj Singh c Hayden b Symonds 38
Mahendra Singh Dhoni c Clarke b Bracken 36
Rohit Sharma c Symonds b Clarke 2
Irfan Pathan b Bracken 12
Harbhajan Singh lbw b Lee 3
Praveen Kumar c Ponting b Bracken 7
Piyush Chawla not out 6
Shantha Sreesanth not out 1
Extras: (5lb,12w) 17
Total: (for nine wickets) 258
Overs: 50
Fall of wickets: 1-94, 2-121, 3-175, 4-205, 5-209, 6-237, 7-240, 8-249, 9-255.
Bowling: Brett Lee 10-0-58-1 (1w), Nathan Bracken 9-1-31-3, Stuart Clark 6-0-32-1 (1w), Mitchell Johnson 6-0-33-0 (8w), Michael Clarke 10-0-52-03 (1w), Andrew Symonds 3-0-27-1.
Australia
Adam Gilchrist c Dhoni b Kumar 2
Matthew Hayden run out 55
Ricky Ponting c Yuvraj Singh b Kumar 1
Michael Clarke b Kumar 17
Andrew Symonds lbw b Harbhajan Singh 42
Michael Hussey c Dhoni b Sreesanth 44
James Hopes c Chawla b Pathan 63
Brett Lee b Kumar 7
Mitchell Johnson c Dhoni b Sreesanth 8
Nathan Bracken c Chawla b Pathan 1
Stuart Clark not out 0
Extras: (2lb, 7w) 9
Total: 249
Overs: 49.4
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-8, 3-32, 4-121, 5-123, 6-199, 7-228, 8-238, 9-247, 10-249.
Bowling: Praveen Kumar 10-2-46-4, Shanta Sreesanth 9-0-43-2, Irfan Pathan 8.4-0-54-2, Harbhajan Singh 10-0-44-1, Piyush Chawla 9-0-45-0, Yuvraj Singh 3-0-15-0.
Your comments
Congratulations to the Indian Cricket Team for this historic win. Hats off to Praveen Kumar, who reminds me of Roger Binny of the past. Indian cricket is at the peak already with 20/20 World Cup and Under 19 World Cup triumphs.
Kamal
Dubai,UAE
Posted: March 05, 2008, 14:04
What a scintillating win! Chakte India. Congratulations.
Roy
Dubai,UAE
Posted: March 05, 2008, 12:35
Congratulations India for playing such an awesome game and winning the series.
Afia
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: March 05, 2008, 07:37
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