"Only Sri Lanka can lose from here"

With a staggering 576 runs in the arrear, there is only one team which can lose the second Test and it's Sri Lanka, Gautam Gambhir said.
Resuming on 417 for two, India lost their last six wickets for 29 runs to settle for a 642-run first innings total and Gambhir said it was enough to put the Lankan under the kosh.

"I'm absolutely satisfied with the score," said the in-form left-hander who hit a sublime 167 and starred in a blistering 233-run opening stand with Virender Sehwag yesterday.

"Batting second, 650 would be a difficult score to chase.

The way wicket has started behaving, stroke-making would be difficult for the Sri Lankans if we stick to our plan. From here, only one team can lose the match and it is Sri Lanka, if we bowl well," said Gambhir.

"We have seen the last session and I think if we can bowl well, there can would be a result. When we first saw the wicket, we knew something would happen even though we didn't know what. The wicket will further deteriorate and if we can bowl in the areas we should, we are the favourites in this match," he explained.
Gambhir took heart from Rangana Herath's five-for and said it augured well for the Indian spinners too.

"That is good news for us. The wicket will get only tougher and shot-making would be difficult. To chase 650 you have to first score those 450 runs to avoid the follow-on and 450 is a lot of runs on this track," added Gambhir.

The opener felt Mahendra Singh Dhoni won an important toss, for it would have been hazardous to bat in the fourth innings against a Sri Lankan team which had three spinners -- Herath, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis -- in their ranks.

"It was a good toss to win. We could bat the first two days on a flat track when the pitch had virtually nothing for the bowlers. And now it is showing signs of turns and would deteriorate further.

"They have three spinners and it is good that we would not be batting in the fourth innings," he said.

Gambhir hit his fourth Test century in as many Tests, prompting Virender Sehwag to call him the best opener India had after Sunil Gavaskar.

Asked about the secret of his golden run over the last 18 months, Gambhir said, "I have not changed my approach. I think it's because I feel more secure now. I have been having this feeling since winning the (2007) Twenty20 World Cup and the confidence I got from my captain, coach and my teammates," he said.

Downplaying Sehwag's praise, Gambhir said, "Coming from him, it means more and is a great feeling. Had it come from anybody else, I would not have taken it seriously. These statements don't matter, what matters is doing well and giving 100 percent."

Looking at the placid tracks, Gambhir said he felt bad for the bowlers and said cricket needed pitch which offered an even battle between bat and ball.

"We have seen in Ahmedabad that it was a tough job both for the spinners and the pacers. Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh) and Amit (Mishra) did their best and my heart goes for them.

"Even Murali, the world's greatest spinner, went wicket-less for a day. I think we should have wickets which offer even contest between bat and ball," he added.

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Mumbai one-dayer called off

The seventh and final ODI between India and Australia has been called off after heavy rains in Mumbai washed out the tie.

Rains lashed Mumbai all day and the possibility of the match off being played looked remote since the every hour.

SportsCenter correspondent Sai Prasad Mahapatra, who was all along observing the situation in Mumbai, said the ground always looked very wet.

"The ground staff said they will need two hours to get the field ready for play but that is provided the rain stops.

"However, looking at the rain, I think it looks rather rough as of now. It is just a matter of time before the match is called off."

The Board President's XI and Sri Lanka warm-up match also suffered on what has been a chaoctic day for India's commerical capital, with the first day being washed out without a ball being bowled.

Australia had already pocketed the series 4-2, winning the sixth ODI in Guwahati on Sunday. The Mumbai ODI in any case did not have any bearing on the series.
Squads

India: MS Dhoni (Captain & WK), G Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, RA Jadeja, KD Karthik, V Kohli, P Kumar, A Mishra, A Nehra, MM Patel, SK Raina, V Sehwag, I Sharma, SR Tendulkar, S Tyagi, Yuvraj Singh

Australia: RT Ponting (Captain), MEK Hussey, DE Bollinger, BT Cockley, NM Hauritz, BW Hilfenhaus, JM Holland, MG Johnson, AB McDonald, CJ McKay, GA Manou (WK), SE Marsh, AC Voges, SR Watson, CL White

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"India took Australia too lightly"

Former India cricketer Mohinder Amarnath has criticised Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men for taking Australian side too lightly.

He said the hosts' overconfidence eventually cost them the ODI series.
"I think, Indian team made a mistake by taking their opponents lightly. Overconfidence was the major factor (in the defeat). We did so many mistakes on the field and our bowling was also not upto the mark in the series," Amarnath said.
Australia secured an unassailable 4-2 lead in the seven-match series after their six-wicket win in the sixth one-dayer in Guwahati on Sunday, which also dashed India's hopes of toppling Ricky Ponting's side from the top of the ICC rankings.

Amarnath was, however, not ready to read much into the series loss and remained hopeful that the team would shrug off the disappointment to rediscover their winning habit soon.

"This loss is certainly worrying, but I would say, there is no need to press the panic button at this moment. We have to play a lot of cricket ahead where the team can perform much better," Amarnath said.

Amarnath, who has played 69 Tests, also congratulated Sachin Tendulkar for becoming the first cricketer in the game's history to score 17,000 runs.

"Sachin is still enjoying his game and has said that he feels proud to play for India. I think, this is a great statement from a great player," Amarnath said.
The 59-year-old former cricketer also advised dashing opening batsman Virender Sehwag, who is struggling to find form in the series, to be more careful in selecting shots in the beginning of his innings.

"Viru is an extremely talented batsman, but he should be more careful in selection of his shots. Team needs him to play some more overs and he should avoid getting dismissed on loose shots," he said.

Amarnath, a member of India's 1983 World Cup winning squad, was not worried about the soaring popularity of Twenty20 cricket, but feels each country should have a large pool of players to deal with the injury problems caused by overdose of cricket.

"Now we are playing too much Twenty20 cricket. I am not saying we shouldn't play it. T20 shouldn't affect players' performance in other versions of international cricket.
Administrators should be careful while planning the fixture to save players from injury or burn out," Amarnath said.

"Instead of rotating same players, the national selectors should give chances to cricketers who are performing well in domestic circuit. We must prepare a bigger pool of players and during selection more emphasis should be placed on fielding," he added.

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We lost the game in first 15 minutes: Dhoni

Guwahati: Dejection written on his face after losing the ODI series to Australia, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his team lost Sunday's do-or-die match in the first 15 minutes itself.

Dhoni's gamble to bat first on a tricky track boomeranged and the match virtually slipped out of their hand by nine overs when the home side was gasping for breath at 27 for five.

"During the toss I said that the first half hour will be crucial for us but the first 15 minutes proved more than enough," Dhoni said after the match.

"We lost quite a few wickets after that we never really were in the game," he explained.

With the win, Australia took an unassailable 4-2 lead in the series.

For Australia, pace duo of Doug Bollinger (5/35) and Mitchell Johnson 3/39) made merry on a wicket which offered generous movement even though Dhoni defended his decision to bat first and felt a score in the vicinity of 220 could have been enough.

"Of course there was a bit of movement in the wicket but overall I think the Australians bowled really well. We could have batted second looking at the conditions but then also it would have been tough because the spinners were getting great amount of turn. I think we were fortunate enough to score 170 as at one stage, 150 was looking tough. We fell short by 50-55 runs," Dhoni said.

The Indian captain said losing a couple of close games made all the difference in the series.

"The Mohali game followed by the Hyderabad game, we should have won both. In both the matches the Australians took the game away from us. A couple of mistakes we made in the field and we lost the games," he added.

His counterpart Ricky Ponting, meanwhile, lauded his team for their spirited display, especially after losing some of their key players to injuries and said it was a memorable series win for him.

"I couldn't be happier. (This is) probably one of the best series I have been involved with. It was heartening to see the boys gel as a group especially after so many injuries. The performance of the team in the last two games have been satisfying," an ecstatic Ponting said.

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One of our most special wins: Ponting

Guwahati: Australian captain Ricky Ponting on Sunday rated the hard-fought ODI series victory against India in the same bracket as his country's World Cup and Champions Trophy victories and one of the "special" triumphs in his career.

"We have won a lot of series here in India. But this one (series triumph) will be up there with some of the specials that I played in, including our Champions Trophy and World Cup wins," Ponting said after Australia's six-wicket victory over India in the sixth one-dayer here.

Ponting gave full credit to his young players for sealing the series and said their performance was an encouraging sign for Australia's 2011 World Cup campaign at the sub-continent.

"It's really satisfying when the so-called younger and less experienced guys coming into the side and really pop their chest to be part of a successful side. Full credit to them, we cannot have asked for anything better," said Ponting.

"I cannot be any more proud from this group, they have got together, they have put their best game together to win the series. It's really a positive thing for Australian cricket. We are coming back to India to play World Cup, whatever exposure the youngsters get will be a positive for them," Ponting said.

He said winning the series against India at their own backyard and with so many injury problems was satisfying.

"India were breathing down our neck at number two spot and with their home conditions we knew what was ahead of us.

"We had well-documented injuries but we stuck to our plans. It's good that the guys responded really well.

"Our back was on the wall with some the guys coming straight from the Champions League Twenty20 run-down. But we managed well," said Ponting.

Showering praise on man-of-the-match Doug Bollinger, who grabbed five wickets today, Ponting said, "He bowled brilliantly, starting from his first game back in Delhi. To get five wickets on a pitch which did not offer much to the fast bowlers is a terrific reward."

Ponting also supported Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bat first after winning the toss.

"I would also have opted to bat in this morning today. India must be thinking of seeing the new ball off as the wicket got better from there," he said.

"I don't think it was a 27/5 wicket. Our bowlers did a great job. The way they started after second ball of the day went for six was really remarkable. We used the new ball very well and made the most of whatever was there this morning.

"Couple of good balls when Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir got out. Yuvraj Singh was unlucky to get out. But those things happen when you create pressure," Ponting said.

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Australia clinch ODI series

Doug Bollinger claimed a five-wicket haul and Australia defeated India by six wickets in the sixth ODI in to take an unassailable 4-2 lead in the seven-match series.

Bollinger (five for 25) and Mitchell Johnson (three for 39) left India reeling at 27 for five with a dazzling burst with the new-ball, but the home side recovered through half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja (57) and Praveen Kumar (54 not out) to reach 170 all out.

The target hardly troubled Australia as Watson smashed a run-a-ball 49 and Michael Hussey made a steady unbeaten 35 as they overhauled the target with 8.1 overs to spare.

It marks India's first defeat in a bilateral series since their 4-2 loss to Australia in 2007-08.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss, but his decision to bat first in early-morning conditions and on a moist surface was immediately undone by the loss of early wickets.

Johnson, who was handed the new ball, bowled opening batsman Virender Sehwag with one that swung in a touch and removed one-drop batsman Gautam Gambhir with the last ball of his first over.

Bollinger began with a maiden from the other end and he then got in on the act, claiming the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar by holding a sharp return catch.
The home side continued to wilt as Yuvraj Singh was snared in bizarre fashion.
Bollinger rapped the left-hander on the pad, but the ball looped up over the batsman's right shoulder and Yuvraj knocked it back onto his stumps while attempting to regain the crease.

Johnson then snared Suresh Raina, a tame dismissal as the batsman chipped straight to Nathan Hauritz at short mid-on, as India lost their top five batsmen inside the first nine overs.

Dhoni (24) and Jadeja revived the innings with a tedious 48-run stand for the sixth wicket, but Bollinger returned to scalp Dhoni, winning a doubtful lbw decision.
India faltered again as Harbhajan Singh fell in the same over, but Praveen joined Jadeja and the two held India together with a 74-run stand for the eight wicket.
The stand was eventually severed by Bollinger, the left-arm seamer claiming Jadeja for his fifth victim in the final over of the batting powerplay.

Praveen, who had hit Clint McKay for a six and a four in an over that yielded 14, eased India past the 150 mark and continued to bat with aggression as he reached his maiden half-century in just 48 deliveries.

Australia too suffered an early jolt, losing Shaun Marsh early, but Watson who had begun in a blaze of boundaries, then put Australia on course with a 61-run stand for the second wicket with Ricky Ponting (25).

Harbhajan, however, provided another twist by snaffling Watson and Ponting in quick succession, but Hussey and Cameron White (25) rebuilt the innings with a 53-run stand for the fourth wicket.

White was trapped in front by Raina, but Australia needed only 28 at that stage and Hussey and Voges (23 not out) easily secured victory.

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'Australia won't be able to fill Warne void'

Melbourne: The void created by the retirement of spin legend Shane Warne can never be filled in the Australian team, feels chief selector Andrew Hilditch.

Hilditch, who was recently reappointed Australia's chief selector until the 2011 World Cup, created quite a stir here by trying at least seven spinners since Warne retired after the Ashes series in 2006-2007.

"The reality is when we lost Warne, it couldn't have come at a worse time. Moving forward I think we have made a lot of progress. We will never replace Warne, that is a non-existent possibility. There is always going to be a hole and to some extent we've got to stop talking about it," Hilditch said.

Australia have tried Stuart MacGill, Beau Casson, Cameron White, Jason Krejza, Brad Hogg, Nathan Hauritz and Bryce McGain in the last few years but are yet to find a permanent replacement for Warne.

Hilditch said he was happy with Hauritz's performance and feels the off-spinner has the calibre to go far.

"Hauritz has made really good progress. We are really happy with how he is going. We think we have found someone who can play a role for us in international cricket, so that's great," Hilditch was quoted as saying in Herald Sun.

"I am feeling a lot better about spin than if you had asked me 12 months ago when we were really looking at stop-gap measures to rebuild our spin stocks," he said.

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Marsh doesn't mind Sachin stealing thunder

Sydney: Australian opener Shaun Marsh, who scored run-a-ball 112 against India in the fifth ODI says Sachin Tendulkar's spectacular ODI innings stealing his thunder didn't bother him, as he ended up on the winning side.

"It doesn't really both me, we won!" said Marsh, who scored his maiden century in the match.

The decision to restore Marsh to the top of the order, after captain Ricky Ponting himself batted there two games ago, was justified by the 26-year-old's run-a-ball 112, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

It also ensured Shaun emulated his father, former opener Geoff Marsh, in scoring his maiden one-day century while touring India.

"It's a good feeling to know that he (Dad) has scored hundreds for Australia and now I have has well," Marsh said.

"I struggled at the start with my timing but I knew if I could just hang in there, it would get easier because it was a good batting wicket. I got dropped a few times but I was happy that I hung in there and finally got the team into a decent position and kicked on," he added.

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We're not looking too far ahead: MS Dhoni

India are a loss away from just their third bilateral one-day series defeat since 2006, but MS Dhoni was not letting the pressure get to him. India surrendered a 3-2 series lead in Hyderabad, where they fell three runs short of a target of 351, to arrive in Guwahati needing to win to prevent their first bilateral series defeat since Australia toured two years ago.

"It [the Hyderabad loss] was hurting and disappointing. But we have left everything in the dressing room," said Dhoni. "We have two more games to go and that's what count now. Whatever has happened has happened. You cannot change much about it. It's important to concentrate on what lies ahead and stay fresh mentally.

"Every game was a pressure game in the series and the remaining two games also. Our first priority is to be in the series, so we have to win the next game and not looking too far ahead."

India's middle order has not produced a lot of runs over the last two matches and that was a major factor in their current series position. As he most always does, Dhoni patted back criticism of two bad outings from the middle order, himself included. "We rely on a good start but every now and then your openers don't score and the pressure comes to the middle order," said Dhoni. "This is one of the series where the middle order has not performed consistently.

"It's not a worrying thing. But of course it's good if we get a good start so that the middle order and lower order capitalise on that."

The young allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has bowled decently in the series as support to Harbhajan Singh but has not done much with bat, prompting questions of his viability in the side. Yet without an alternative allrounder option in the squad Dhoni backed Jadeja to perform. "He is doing well but when it comes to selection, we don't speak too much about it," he said. "But every individual, if he is doing well he deserves a chance to be in the side. Jadeja is bowling well, as series goes he will turn up more as a batsman."

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Dhoni: Jadeja will learn from mistakes

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has backed all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, saying he would learn from his mistakes.

The dismissal of Jadeja, who was chasing a non-existent single at a crucial moment in the fifth match in Hyderabad, dashed India's hopes as the home team lost by three runs to Australia on Thursday.

Incidentally, Jadeja was also dismissed in a similar fashion in the fourth one-dayer at Mohali, where the hosts suffered a 24-run defeat on November 2.

"He (Jadeja) has been bowling well in the series and with more and more matches, we will see him more as a batsman.

"Jadeja is learning from his mistakes," Dhoni said after the team's training session at the Nehru Stadium in Guwahati.

Jadeja, who has bagged six wickets in the seven-match series so far, also received some special attention from coach Gary Kirsten as the South African spent more than half-an-hour with the Saurashtra all-rounder explaining batting techniques.

Special attention was also given to Amit Mishra with Sachin Tendulkar advising the leg-spinner personally on a day when dashing opener Virender Sehwag opted out of the practice session.

On a seemingly bowling-wicket at Nehru Stadium on Sunday, Mishra is likely to replace paceman Munaf Patel, who had conceded 73 runs from nine overs without any success in Hyderabad.

"It has always been the case, I don't announce the playing XI," Dhoni, however, said.
There were also some big hits from Harbhajan Singh who batted close to 15 minutes during the net session with Praveen Kumar, Mishra, Tendulkar and Sudeep Tyagi giving him practice, while the regular batsmen preferred to take rest.

"There was no particular reason behind this. We wanted to give the guys some rest and the lower order batted," Dhoni said.

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"We hope to seal the series here"

Australian vice captain Michael Hussey said the visitors are determined to pocket the rubber in the sixth ODI in Guwahati.

Australia are leading 3-2 in the ongoing seven-match ODI series against India. Predicting that Sunday's affair will witness a close finish, Hussey said they were backing themselves up with the motivation of sealing the issue instead of leaving it for last game in Mumbai.

"I guess it will be a tight match here again but our motivation now is that we can have the series in our hands tomorrow (Sunday). We are still recovering from the the thrilling win (in Hyderabad) and hope to take the series here," Hussey told reporters on the eve of the match at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.

"We are not looking at any long-term goal but win here will give us the series and as a byproduct we can consolidate our position atop the ICC rankings," he said.
With the conditions in Guwahati seemingly mysterious as ODI cricket is returning to the city after two years' lull -- the scheduled India-England match last November was cancelled due to 26/11 Mumbai terror atacks -- Hussey said the Aussies would be happy to lose the toss.

"Maybe it will be a good toss to lose. I have never played here and so don't know much about the conditions. I guess the first 10 overs will be crucial. If we bat first, we have to be cautious and while bowling if we take few wickets early, I guess then we can cash in on the situation," he said.

Hussey also lavished praise on all-rounder Shane Watson, who cracked a superb 89-ball 93 to guide Australia to a mammoth 350 for four in Hyderabad.

"He (Watson) is two players for the price of a one. He is superbly talented, works really hard and a great asset to the side. He lends balance to the side and an important cog in the wheel for us," he said.

He, however, begged to differ when asked whether India lacked depth in their bowling department in the fifth one-dayer.

"I don't think we can blame their (India's) bowlers. It was an excellent batting strip and even our bowlers conceded about 350 runs while India batted."

Hussey himself has been the backbone of Australia's batting department in the series, top-scoring with 278 runs from five outings with three fifties, and he said he was happy with his form.

"I am not worried about my batting form. I think I am middling the ball well," he said.

Incidentally, Australia has been hit hard by injuries during the series with as many as five players -- Brett Lee (elbow), James Hopes (hamstring), Tim Paine (finger), Peter Siddle (muscle stiffness) and Moises Henriques (right hamstring) -- returning home midway through the tour.

To top it, captain Ricky Ponting was already out there without the services of his first choice players in Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Callum Ferguson and Nathan Bracken, who missed the tour due to injuries.

But Hussey feels it came as a blessing in disguise for the World Champions as it provides them the opportunity to test the unheralded players and prepare a strong back up before the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent.

"We suffered a lot of injuries, but it was a good opportunity for the players who were just on the outskirts. They have performed well and it gave us a chance to test our depth.

"With the World Cup less than two years to go, it's good to have as many youngsters ready. It will be a dress rehearshal ahead of the premier event," he said.

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Fog threatens to play spoilsport

Heavy early morning fog and sunlight that fades early are a cause of concern ahead of the sixth India-Australia ODI in Guwahati.

But the ground staff is confident that new equipment would prevent any weather-related delays in the game.

The scheduled start of the play is 8.30 am in the morning and pitch curator Sunil Barua said the teams have to watch out for the morning fog and the dew factor. But he assured that with the new equipment, the match will start as scheduled.

"The Board has asked us to get the pitch ready one hour in advance. We have super sopers at our disposal and we hope to clear the dew and get the pitch ready in time," Barua said.

In case the light fades out early, they have an option of floodlights but the curator doubts whether the lights which are used for other sport would be of any use.

The Nehru Stadium strip may have got a history of bowling-friendly wicket, but the curator said this time the wicket had been relaid and the fans can expect a "300-plus total".

Barua, who is handling the wicket since the stadium hosted its first one-dayer in 1983, said, "It will be a batting-friendly one-day wicket. The wicket has been relaid two years ago with special soil brought from outside. We can expect a high-scoring game and 300-plus is possible.

Indian, Australian teams arrive in Guwahati

Meanwhile, the Indian and Australian cricket teams on Friday arrived in Guwahati from Hyderabad for the sixth one-day international match scheduled to be played on November 8.

The two teams arrived at the Lokopriyo Gopinath International Airport from Hyderabad by a Jet Airways flight.

The players were escorted to their respective hotels amid tight security with fans lining up the entire way from the airport to the two hotels in different parts of the city.

The Indian team is staying at Hotel Brahmaputra Ashok near Latasil area while the Australian team has been put up at the new Hotel Nakshatra in Beltola area of the city.

Both the team members and officials were greeted at the hotels with the traditional Assamese 'gamosa' (hand woven towel).

Meanwhile, all arrangements have been completed for the Sunday's match and the state police department has made elaborate arrangements to tackle any untoward incident, Assam Cricket Association Secretary Bikash Barua said.
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Jadeja: Was too keen to finish it off

Ravindra Jadeja's ill-timed run-out dashed India's hopes in the Hyderabad humdinger against Australia.

And the dejected all-rounder said he pursued the non-existent single in his eagerness to retain strike.

Still rankled by India's three-run defeat in the see-saw encounter, Jadeja said he tried to sneak a single off the 48th over sent down by Clint McKay because he wanted to complete the chase himself and not leaving it to partner Praveen Kumar.

"After Sachin got out, I wanted to finish things off," Jadeja said.

"I wanted to get the strike and thought the ball was going to a no man's land. Instead, it went straight to the fielder (Cameron White) and I had come a long distance. It was difficult to get back to the crease," Jadeja lamented.

Incidentally, Jadeja was dismissed in a similar fashion in the fourth one-dayer in Mohali, where India lost by 24 runs.

"I feel very disappointed. We lost both the matches after getting so near," said the youngster.

With Sachin Tendulkar and Jadeja going great guns in Hyderabad, at one point it seemed India would reach the 351 target with ease.

Tendulkar and Jadeja added 32 for seventh wicket and with the powerplay on, it seemed a matter of Tendulkar's staying there till the end.

But after Tendulkar got out scoring a memorable 175, India crumbled with Jadeja following suit in the same over.

"We could have made it easily. We were 18 runs away with more than two overs remaining," Jadeja said.

The defeat notwithstanding, one thing Jadeja would cherish forever is watching Tendulkar from the other end on a day that belonged to the Little Master.

"It was great to play the partner's role in that epic innings of Tendulkar. He was very supportive and on every ball he was telling me to play my natural game. He was telling me to take my strokes. It's sad that we could not see the team through," Jadeja said.

However, the Saurashtra player, who drew rich praise from his Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne, was confident that India would win the remaining two one-dayers to clinch the series.

"(In the last match) we gave Australia a very close game and we almost won it. If we can get near to 350, it means we can chase any total.

"In the previous one dayer (in Mohali) also, we missed narrowly. We just have to be careful towards the end and we will win the series," Jadeja said.

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India lost the mental battle - Dhoni

After a close, emotional three-run defeat to Australia in Hyderabad, MS Dhoni said that India lost the mental battle, falling at the last hurdle. "You work so hard to get to a well, but then you have to drink the water yourself," he said. "We came very close, but the one last effort that we needed as a team we couldn't put in.

"I don't think it was the talent part. I think it was the mental part, where you know you can play a big shot and you back yourself to do that," Dhoni said. "At times you just go through the motions, you don't know if such a shot is needed or not."

Dhoni rued three dropped chances and a lack of experience in the bowling line-up. Shaun Marsh, who was put down on 29 and on 51, went on to get a maiden century, while Shane Watson's drop cost India just three runs. "We dropped three catches. One of them was tough," Dhoni said. "We lost too many wickets in the middle order. Myself, Gauti [Gautam Gambhir], Yuvraj [Singh], we got out pretty quickly. We could have done better. Though it was a very good track to bat, you still need a serious effort to get close to 350. If we had stopped them to 330 or 325, we would have had a better chance.

"I am not saying they could have kept them to 270, but even if they could have kept them down to 320, it would have been a completely different game. On these wickets, when there is no seam or swing, experience comes in."

It was all left to Sachin Tendulkar to chase down the target and he almost carried India home with an imperious 141-ball 175. He fell with India needing 19 runs off the last 17 balls, but the last three wickets couldn't manage that. Dhoni said the team believed Praveen Kumar could pull off the chase even as they were in the middle of a choke.

"Till the last wicket fell, we had hope. Of course it was disheartening. He [Tendulkar] made such a big effort. Such a big score. He was the one man who kept us in the game. We would have loved to see him hit the winning runs. But that was not to be."

Dhoni had words of comfort for Ravindra Jadeja, who for the second night in a row got himself run out in a crucial situation. "He is a youngster, don't take that away from him," Dhoni said. "When he plays more and more games, he will learn. It is tough, but he shouldn't be pointed out. He is doing the job for us. He is bowling well, he is a great fielder. He is learning the art of batting at this level. As long as he keeps learning from every game, it is fine."

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Dhoni hails Sachin's heroics

MS Dhoni said had it not been for Sachin Tendulkar's 175, the hosts would have never come so close to a sensational victory against Australia.
Dhoni took the positives from the heart-breaking three-run loss in the fifth one-dayer and said without Tendulkar's heroic 141-ball innings, it would not have been possible to come so close to the mammoth 351 run target set by Australia.

"Three or four of our top batsmen did not score but still we came close to the target. Sachin Tendulkar played very well and he was one man who brought us close to a win. But even after he left we did not lose hopes till the end," said Dhoni about Tendulkar's fabulous knock which was studded with 19 fours and four sixes.

Dhoni said though this was a special innings from the champion batsman, his personal favourite was the Desert Storm in Sharjah against Australia in April 1998.

"It was a pleasure to see him batting so well. All his centuries have been special and this too. But I am still a big fan of his desert storm (innings)," he said.

Dhoni was also of the view that India lost the mental aspect of the game and not the cricketing part.

"We lost the mental aspect and not the cricketing part of the match. Chasing 350 was always going to be difficult even on this wicket which played very well," he said after India lost a heart-stopper to Australia to give the visitors a 2-3 lead in the seven-match series.

Dhoni felt that though the conditions were ideal for batting, his bowlers gave away 20-30 runs extra on the placid Rajiv Gandhi International stadium wicket.

"We always knew the wicket was going to play good but the pressure of chasing 350 was high. It would have been easier had our bowlers done something extra to restrict the score to 325 or 330. I am not saying they should have stopped them at 270," said the wicketkeeper batsman, who had a poor outing with both the bat and behind the wicket.

The India skipper refused to believe that his side would be under extra pressure in the next game at Guwahati on Sunday.

"Every game is a pressure game. There will always be pressure," he said.

Dhoni also lavished praise on the Australian batsmen for their superb show but said the three dropped chances cost his team dear.

"We dropped three catches which proved to be costly," he said about the chances given to Shaun Marsh (twice) and Shane Watson (once).

Marsh was dropped on 29 and 51 while Watsom was let off on 90. Marsh made 112, his debut ODI hundred and Watson went on to score 93 and also took three wickets.

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Aussies hold nerve to win thriller

A magnificent 175 from Sachin Tendulkar overshadowed a maiden century from Shaun Marsh, but it was Australia who came out triumphant by three runs in the fifth one-day international against India in Hyderabad.

Marsh was twice dropped but made the most of those reprieves as he powered to 112, while opening partner Shane Watson (93), Cameron White (57) and Ricky Ponting (45) all made substantial contributions to power Australia to a massive 350 for four.

Tendulkar replied in style and, aided brilliantly by Suresh Raina (59), brought India within sniffing distance of victory, but Australia kept their heads as India were bowled out for 347 with three deliveries to spare.

The win gave Australia a 3-2 lead in the seven-match series.

The visitors began well, with Watson getting them off to a flyer as he smashed the new-ball bowlers around.

He blasted first-change bowler Munaf Patel for a four and a six in his second over to quickly close in on a half-century and clobbered Ashish Nehra for another four and six to reach the milestone off just 40 deliveries.

Watson motored along nicely once past the 50 mark, completely dominating an opening stand with Marsh worth 145.

Australia's free scoring was finally curbed with the introduction of Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh, the two bowling accurately in tandem and asserting a degree of control.

But a ragged performance from India in the field stalled the breakthrough as Marsh, who had begun unconvincingly, was dropped on 29 by Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Harbhajan, the wicketkeeper failing to grasp a top-edge chance.

Watson was dropped by Yuvraj off his own bowling on 90, but did not last long thereafter as he fell short of a century, slog-sweeping Harbhajan straight to Ravindra Jadeja at deep midwicket.

Marsh was again reprieved just after reaching his half-century with Virender Sehwag making a mess of a fairly straightforward chance at cover.

Ponting was then bowled by Praveen Kumar, but Marsh began to score fluently from then on - his second 50 came off just 41 deliveries - and celebrated exuberantly once he reached his century.

He fell while trying to up the scoring, but White and Michael Hussey (31 not out) provided the flourish at the death.

White was snared off the last ball, but the Victorian had done the damage, putting on 80 off just 43 deliveries for the fourth wicket with Hussey.

India's reply began in usual sprightly fashion with Sehwag providing the initial thrust.

The opener had clubbed 38 off 30 deliveries when Doug Bollinger, who had grassed him earlier when the batsman was on 21, held a splendid catch running back from short fine-leg to send back the opener.

Debutant seamer Clint McKay then struck vital blows in the top order, sending back Gautam Gambhir and Dhoni cheaply, while Yuvraj was snaffled by Watson as the home side slipped to 162 for four.

Tendulkar, who had needed seven runs at the start of the innings to reach 17,000 in ODIs, was tentative at first, but once he passed that milestone he opened up to play another superb innings.

Tendulkar was joined by Raina, the left-hander providing excellent support as the match swung India's way under their charge.

Tendulkar, who had smashed Nathan Hauritz for consecutive sixes in an over, reached his 45th ODI century off just 81 deliveries and continued to flay the bowlers around as India closed in on the target.

Australia too were far from flawless in the field, White spilling Raina while the batsman was on zero proving costly.

Raina went on to add 137 for the fifth wicket with Tendulkar, reaching his 12th ODI half-century with a towering six of McKay.

The match turned again with Watson snaring the left-hander and his replacement, the feisty Harbhajan, in the same over.

India had needed 52 from 45 deliveries at the dismissal of Raina, but Jadeja (23) kept the chase on course until he lost Tendulkar, McKay's third victim.

India then unravelled with Jadeja run out and Nehra going quickly.

Eight were needed from the last over, but Praveen Kumar was run out while attempting a second run, the wicket handing Australia victory.

Henriques returns, Australia induct McDonald and Cockley

HYDERABAD: Nursing a hamstring injury, Moises Henriques on Wednesday became the latest Australian to return home midway through the India tour and the beleaguered visitors inducted Victorian all-rounder Andrew McDonald and New South Wales fast bowler Burt Cockley to prop up the depleted side.

Cricket Australia said in a press release that Henriques would return home tonight after suffering a hamstring injury during the fourth ODI in Mohali.

In such a situation, the CA National Selection Panel (NSP) announced that McDonald and Cockley would join the squad for the sixth ODI in Guwahati as replacement players for Henriques and Peter Siddle, who returned home early this morning with stiffness in his left side.

"Moises complained of some discomfort after the fourth ODI in Mohali. He had an MRI scan when we arrived in Hyderabad which showed signs of injury to the right hamstring," Australian physiotherapist Kevin Sims said.

"The medical staff believe the injury will not recover sufficiently for him to participate in the last week of the tour and therefore we have decided he will return to Australia where he will continue his treatment," Sims added.

National Selection Panel Chairman Andrew Hilditch said McDonald's form in the Champions League Twenty20 clinched it for him while Cockley was rewarded for his performance in the Ford Ranger's Cup.

"Andrew played very well for Victoria in the recent Champions League in India, was in very good form in the first Sheffield Shield game scoring a hundred and bowling impressively on a batsman friendly Adelaide wicket and backing that up with a dominant display in tonight's Ford Ranger Cup match," Hilditch said.

"We are sure that Andrew will grab his opportunity and perform well in the Australian one-day set up," he said.

"Burt is someone who the NSP has identified in the last 12 months as someone who could have an impact at international level. He performed well in the recent Ford Ranger Cup game against Western Australia and we think he will be well suited to Indian conditions. This is a great opportunity for a young Australian fast bowler to have an impact at the international level," added Hilditch.

Australia landed in India without key players like Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin and a spate of injuries saw Brett Lee, James Hopes, Tim Paine, Siddle and now Henriques return home.

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MS Dhoni wants top order to fire

Indian captain MS Dhoni has asked his top order batsmen to fire if India are to take a lead in the ODI series, which now stands at 2-2 with three matches to play. Dhoni blamed the defeat in the third ODI in Mohali on a collective failure of the top order after the bowlers did well to restrict Australia to 250 on a good batting track.

India began briskly in their chase and were in the game till the 24th over at 113 for 3, before Yuvraj Singh was run out off a direct hit by Ricky Ponting. Dhoni was the fifth wicket to fall, for 26, and his dismissal left a lot of responsibility on the lower order.

"Top order batsmen need to bat well and not rely on the lower order," Dhoni said on the eve of the fifth game in Hyderabad. "If you are playing with seven batsmen, it's better to get a big score from six of them rather than use the seventh, who we call as a backup batsman, especially when you are chasing.

"If one among the top order gets a big score it becomes easy for us as the others can rotate around him. If we have a good start we can get on to a big score so as to dictate terms and play according to your pace."

Dhoni justified Ravindra Jadeja's position at No.7 and insisted that he was in the team as a bowling allrounder. Jadeja bowled seven overs for 27 but scored only 7 as the pressure mounted in the chase.

"He's (Jadeja) filling in the space of bowling allrounder. He's bowling really well," Dhoni said. "His batting is also important. Batting at No.7 is not about getting big fifties or 70s. It's about scoring quickly. And if we are batting second and if we lose wickets every batsman is needed to score extra runs on the board."

Dhoni, however, was happy with the way his bowlers had performed. They conceded only 27 runs and took four wickets in the batting Powerplay, which Australia took in the 44th over. They also didn't allow Australia to get off to a flier in the chase of 355 in Nagpur.

"The last couple of games Harbhajan [Singh] had bowled really well," Dhoni said. "I can't complain much. The (new ball) bowlers have always gotten off to a good start.

"Ashish Nehra has been the pick. Praveen [Kumar] has also done well. Ishant Sharma had a couple of off games for him. He's done well in a couple of them. Last game, he got targeted a bit. I'm quite happy with the performance of the bowlers overall."

With the business end of the series virtually reduced to a three-match contest, Dhoni warned his team against taking their foot off the pedal.

"Now we can see it as a three-game series. Every game is important now. It's important not to have an off day. As the number of games gets reduced there's no time to recover."

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India need their batsmen to fire

With the series poised 2-2, India will have to overcome their batting shortcomings against a spirited but depleted Australia.

The Indians, seeking to dethrone Australia from the number one spot in world rankings, go into the fifth cricket one-dayer on Thursday, strengthened by the expected return of Gautam Gambhir, who had to skip last match due to a neck injury.
Although the left-hander Gambhir's presence will lend solidity to the top order, the worrying factor for the hosts has been the lack of good starts in the series so far.

Bats to do the talking

Clearly the onus is on the Indian batsmen to deliver the goods on a track which according to the curator has plenty of runs to offer but will also aid the bowlers.
Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar have put on stands of 25, 21, 37 and 40, and the home team would be hoping this can be extended to something closer to the hundred mark which would be the ideal platform for Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni and Raina to launch a blitz later on.

Tendulkar is on the verge of reaching another milestone in his glittering career as he his just seven runs short of touching the 17,000 run-mark and the champion batsman would take inspiration from the moment to score big.

"We failed as a batting unit. We should have batted the full 50 overs but that was not possible because we kept losing wickets at regular intervals," India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had said after the defeat in the previous match.

While the Indians have their task cut out for the flood-lit encounter the Aussies have been grappling with a spate of injury problems ever since the series began.
The latest to join the casualty list is Peter Siddle, who has returned home because of a side-strain. They have already lost the services of pace spearhead Brett lee, stumper Tim Paine, and all-rounder James Hopes.

Taking advantage

Dhoni's men did a remarkable turnaround after narrowly losing the first ODI at Vadodara but a shoddy batting display in the fourth match saw the hosts handing back the advantage to Ricky Ponting's outfit.

Another batting failure could spell disaster in Thursday's match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium at Uppal as the team that wins the clash is sure to hold a huge advantage in the final outcome of the rubber, with the last two ties scheduled at Guwahati (day) and Mumbai (day/night).

Gambhir's presence in the line-up has become a crucial one as he brings in the virtue of patiently working the ball into the gaps and rotating the strike to the other stroke-makers in the team.

As per the needs

The Delhi left-hander can change gear as per the needs of the situation and has been the calming influence in the top-order while skipper Dhoni has taken over this job in the latter part of the innings.

What the Indians would be hoping for is explosive opener Sehwag's longer stay at the crease as he has rocketed off with a flurry of boundaries but continues to lose way in the 30s and 40s.

If he and Tendulkar, can give a better start than what they had done thus far, the others can cash in on the inexperienced and injury-hit Australian bowling attack.
India's bowling has been a mixed bag with Ishant Sharma, in particular, blowing hot and cold.

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The pick has been left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra whose display in the beginning as well as the end of the Australian innings has been outstanding.

Praveen Kumar has been steady while off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has also shown improved form after an indifferent start to the series.

The visiting team's pace attack has lost a bit of bite after losing very impressive Siddle and they would hope Mitchell Johnson, who has been inconsistent, to put up an improved show.

Doug Bollinger has impressed in the absence of his seniors colleagues and off-spinner Nathan Hauritz has also done well though he lacks support in the middle overs.
The teams:

Australia (from): Ricky Ponting (C), Michael Hussey (VC), Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz, Jon Holland, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Clint McKay.
India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Sudeep Tyagi, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.

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Australia scramble for replacements

Australia have summoned all-rounder Andrew McDonald and uncapped paceman Burt Cockley to as back-up for their injury-ravaged squad.

All-rounder Moises Henriques, himself a replacement for the injured James Hopes, was today sent home after suffering a hamstring injury in the fourth one-day international in Mohali.

In addition to Henriques and Hopes, Australia have also lost key quicks Brett Lee and Peter Siddle and wicketkeeper Tim Paine.

The series, currently poised at 2-2 going into tomorrow's fifth match in Hyderabad, started badly for Australia when vice-captain and middle-order lynchpin Michael Clarke was unable to fly to India with the team.

On Henriques, Australia physio Kevin Sims said: "Moises complained of some discomfort after the fourth ODI in Mohali. He had an MRI scan when we arrived in Hyderabad which showed signs of injury to the right hamstring.

"The medical staff believe the injury will not recover sufficiently for him to participate in the last week of the tour and therefore we have decided he will return to Australia where he will continue his treatment."

Australian chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch, explaining the call-ups, said: "In view of the injury to Moises Henriques together with the ongoing player workload concerns of the players currently in India, the NSP has decided to add Andrew McDonald and Burt Cockley to the squad for the balance of the team's tour.

"Andrew played very well for Victoria in the recent Champions League in India, was in very good form in the first Sheffield Shield game scoring a hundred and bowling impressively on a batsman friendly Adelaide wicket.

"We are sure that Andrew will grab his opportunity and perform well in the Australian one-day set up.

"Burt is someone who the NSP has identified in the last 12 months as someone who could have an impact at international level. He performed well in the recent Ford Ranger Cup game against Western Australia and we think he will be well suited to Indian conditions.

"This is a great opportunity for a young Australian fast bowler to have an impact at the international level."

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