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Tendulkar guides India
04/03/2008 09:36 - (SA)
Brisbane - Sachin Tendulkar steered India into a potentially series-winning position before falling nine runs short of consecutive hundreds against Australia.
Tendulkar, whose unbeaten 117 helped India to a six-wicket win Sunday in game one of the best-of-three finals series, scored 91 Tuesday to set the tourists on course for 258 for nine after winning the toss and electing to bat.
Needing a win to stay alive in the finals, the Australians rallied after Tendulkar's dismissal to curb the run-rate in the last 10 overs and keep an achievable target.
Tendulkar had a reprieve on 7 in the 8th over when he slashed at a wildish ball from Nathan Bracken and Ricky Ponting put down a difficult chance at short cover.
But he took the attack to the Australian bowlers, hitting seven boundaries in an otherwise chanceless innings and moved within sight of a 43rd ODI century until he bunted a Michael Clarke ball to short mid-on, where Ponting took a well judged, diving catch.
He 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.
Attempting same shot
Yuvraj got off the mark with a straight driven six off Clarke on the second ball he faced and raised the 50 partnership with Tendulkar with another six, slogged over midwicket, off Andrew Symonds.
But he was out next ball, attempting the same shot, caught on the rope by Hayden and India was 175-3.
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, removing Gautam Gambhir (15) and Rohit Sharma (2) along with Tendulkar.
Mitchell Johnson struggled for line and rhythm and bowled eight wides for a return of 0-33 in six overs.
But Bracken and Brett Lee hit back in the last five overs. Bracken removed 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.
Harbhajan Singh, who was cleared by the International Cricket Council of making racist gestures and spitting toward the crowd in the Sydney match on Sunday, was roundly booed when he went to the crease at the Gabba with India at 237-6 in the 48th over.
He was trapped lbw by Lee eight balls from the end of the innings.
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