Aussies humiliate Team India, take 3-1 lead

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Vadodara, October 11:: Uthappa, who fell leg before. Fellow speedster Brett Lee took two wickets, including Rahul Dravid for a first ball duck, while Chinaman bowler Brad Hogg and another left arm pacer Nathan Bracken secured a wicket each to put the Indians on the mat.

The home team had a terrible start with Ganguly being run out off the fourth ball and Dravid in the first over of Lee and the final total they posted was not only totally inadequate but also was the lowest at this venue, below West Indies 181 made against India in January this year.

The visitors were never troubled in the run-chase though India started with the unusual combination of off spinner Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan to open their attack.

The spinner got the ball to turn and bounce. But Zaheer was carted around by Hayden, who batted as imposingly as ever, despite a groin strain suffered while taking two runs. The Aussie opening pair of Hayden and Gilchrist put on 54 runs to put the visitors on the victory path.

After Hayden, who batted with a runner, fell dragging a ball from R P Singh on to his stumps, Gilchrist took over the attacking reins and smashed left arm spinner Murali Kartik, who bowled impressively on his comeback after 20 months in the previous tie, for three sixes in an over.

The Aussie wicketkeeper had mustered only 59 runs in the first four ties but looked a different batsman today. He also added 95 runs for the unbroken second wicket in 13 overs with skipper Ponting to steer the visitors home with plenty to spare.

In the morning, Tendulkar played a lone ranger in his record-equalling tie and made 47 but the other batsmen surrendered tamely much to the disappointment of the capacity crowd of 20,000 who thronged the venue expecting a repeat of the stirring display at Chandigarh, which fetched the hosts an eight-run win.

Tendulkar batted cautiously but was prompt to punish the loose balls as he struck nine fours in 73 balls after a stay of 128 minutes during which he saw a procession of batsmen making their way back.

Tendulkar too departed halfway through the allotted overs in Lees first over of his second spell. The bowler induced the edge by bringing forward the Mumbai batsman with a well-directed outswinger in his first over of a fresh spell.