Australia beats India in ODI, levels series

Cameron White also made 62 and captain Ricky Ponting 52 in Australia's total of 250 at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium. The Australians then bowled out India for 226 in 46.4 overs.

Left-arm seamer Doug Bollinger, playing only in his fifth ODI, was the pick of Australia's attack and finished with figures of 3-38, while Watson claimed the last three wickets to take 3-29. Offspinner Nathan Hauritz took 2-31 off nine overs.

Sachin Tendulkar top-scored for India with 40 from 68 balls, falling seven short of 17,000 ODI runs when he was lbw to Hauritz.

The top six Indian batsmen all reached double figures but the biggest partnership for the hosts was the opening stand of 40 between Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, who smashed 30 off 19 balls.

“We failed as a batting unit ... on a good batting track where the ball was coming on to the bat,” India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

Ponting praised his bowlers for defending the modest total, but said Australia should have posted a bigger score.

“We missed out on a few runs. At one stage it seemed we'll get to 300 but we could only get to 250,” said Ponting, adding that his batsmen did not capitalize on good starts.

Put in to bat after Dhoni won the toss, Australia lost opener Shaun Marsh for 5 in the eighth over, out lbw to an inswinger from pace bowler Ashish Nehra.

Watson and Ponting then put on 64 in just over 10 overs, but Watson was caught by wicketkeeper Dhoni off offspinner Harbhajan Singh's first delivery.

Ponting scored his third half-century in four matches before being run out by Ravindra Jadeja's throw to Dhoni after going for a second to deep square leg. The Australia captain hit a six and five boundaries off 59 deliveries.

White added 73 runs for the fourth wicket with Michael Hussey, whose good form in the series continued with a 41-ball 40.

Hussey missed out on a fourth consecutive half-century by miscuing left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh to Ishant Sharma at deep midwicket. Hussey hit a six and two fours.

White was run out by Nehra after finding himself stranded outside his crease when the bowler stopped a straight drive from Mitchell Johnson. White collected one six and three boundaries in 71 balls.

Harbhajan returned figures of 2-48 after having allrounder Moises Henriques caught behind for 6, while Nehra finished with 3-37 by bowling Johnson for 8 and having Peter Siddle snapped up by Jadeja for 1.

Allrounder James Hopes became the third player to leave Australia's squad, returning home Sunday because of a hamstring injury. Pace bowler Brett Lee has an arm problem and wicketkeeper Tim Paine broke a finger to also return home.

Bollinger, playing due to Lee's absence, dismissed three top-order batsman. He removed opener Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli for 10 and Dhoni for 26.

Sehwag smashed seven boundaries off 13 balls before miscuing Bollinger to Watson at mid-off.

Australia won the opening match by four runs, but India hit back to win the second by 99 runs and the third by six wickets.

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