The match that was billed as the clash of titans turned out to be a disaster of Titanic proportions for the Indians. For the second time in succession, the Awesome Aussies reduced the title contest into a bout where their rivals served no more than a punching bag. And even as India’s golden streak came to a tame end, the Aussies won their 17th ODI in a row to remain unbeaten in the current World Cup. With their 125-run victory today, they have officially confirmed their status — they have no equal in world cricket! They not just beat India today but the nature, too, to enhance their reputation. Before the contest began, the Indian resurgence was the big story. But as the final got underway it was a different tale altogether. The team with a history of ‘final phobia’, notwithstanding the recent results, had been on the road to recovery. But they just couldn’t do the needful today. As their nervous bowling fell apart against a cool and calculated Aussie attack, which compiled 359/2, the contest was over by noon. The second session was merely of academic interest. India’s only realistic chance was the rains and the possible subsequent reduction of overs and runs. The game did stop for 25 minutes with the score at 103/3 at the end of 17 overs. But the hopes of the partisan crowd were dashed as no overs were reduced and the Aussies, after a brief stay in the dressing room, came back to put the finishing touches to their classic show. A rain-induced replay was India’s only hope since Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly had departed early. Their modes of exit were similar: the burden of the big ask forcing them to play across the line to Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee respectively, and neither succeeded. Sehwag’s innings was entertaining, as they always are when he stays in the middle for long enough. He swung, lofted, drove and pulled but he was also dropped a couple of times as he survived to hit 82. Finally, he was run out after an eventful innings. That, in a sense, was the difference between the Indians and the Aussies. Gung ho riskful dare-devilry didn’t have any chance against the stealth-bombing Aussies. After Sehwag’s departure, the run rate skyrocketed and it was just a matter of time before the shutters were pulled down. For the Aussies, McGrath took three wickets, Lee two and, in the final stages, Andrew Symonds too got a couple. If the weather failed to pull a fast one on the Aussies in the evening, it actually did succeed in fooling Ganguly in the morning. The skipper, under the illusion of the heavy cloud cover, chose to give his pacers a chance to showcase their recently-acquired reputation on the big stage. But somehow stage-fright took over, and the pacers looked listless more often than not. Half the deliveries were pitched halfway down the pitch, and a huge number of full-tosses found their way to Ponting and Martyn’s bats. Maybe, it was the reputation of the Aussies that got to them. SCOREBOARD AUSTRALIA: A Gilchrist c Sehwag b Harbhajan 57, M Hayden c Dravid b Harbhajan 37, R Ponting 140 not out, D Martyn 88 not out; Extras (b-2, lb-12, w-16, nb-7): 37 Total: (For 2 wkts, in 50 overs) 359 Fall of wickets: 1-105, 2-125 Bowling: Zaheer Khan 7-0-67-0, Javagal Srinath 10-0-87-0, Ashish Nehra 10-0-57-0, Harbhajan Singh 8-0-49-2, Virender Sehwag 3-0-14-0, Sachin Tendulkar 3-0-20-0, Dinesh Mongia 7-0-39-0, Yuvraj Singh 2-0-12-0 INDIA: S Tendulkar c & b McGrath 4, V Sehwag run out 82, S Ganguly c Lehmann b Lee 24, M Kaif c Gilchrist b McGrath 0, R Dravid b Bichel 47, Y Singh c Lee b Hogg 24, D Mongia c Martyn b Symonds 12, H Singh c McGrath b Symonds 7, Z Khan c Lehmann b McGrath 4, J Srinath b Lee 1, A Nehra not out 8; Extras (b-4, lb-4, w-9, nb-4): 21 Total (All out, in 39.2 overs): 234 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-58, 3-59, 4-147, 5-187, 6-208, 7-209, 8-223, 9-226 Bowling: McGrath 8.2-0-52-3, Lee 7-1-31-2, Hogg 10-0-61-1, Lehmann 2-0-18-0, Bichel 10-0-57-1, Symonds 2-0-7-2 Result: Australia won by 125 runs Man of the match: Ricky Ponting The bubble burst quite early as Aussie openers Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden were in the sort of form which gives the bowlers round the world the jitters. Zaheer was the most erratic. Six wides and two no balls in a spell where he gave more than nine runs per over were not the kind of figures the skipper had wanted to see from his spearhead. Javagal Srinath was a shade better, going for eight. Their common folly was bowling too short and drifting on to the legs. Line and length — well not today. They seemed to be taking their Sunday off. The third seamer Ashish Nehra was the best of the lot, but considering that the batsmen were already in full flow when he got the ball in hand it was always going to be an uphill task. Offie Harbhajan Singh got all the Aussie wickets that fell today — well, just two actually. He finished with the figures of 2/49 in eight overs but the fact that he bowled half of his spell when the fielding restrictions were on, the number doesn’t project the truth. The Aussie batting was the story of two partnerships. Hayden and Gilchrist put on 105 for the first wicket. Then Ponting and Martyn had a record unbeaten association of 234 runs. Martyn in his innings of 88 didn’t show any signs of the finger injury while Ponting played a knock which would qualify him to be called a worthy successor of Steve Waugh. A quiet start and the flourish at the end. Treating a World Cup final like a ball game in the backyard, Ponting hit eight sixes in his unbeaten knock of 140. As the two walked to the dressing room with the scoreboard reading 359/2, the writing was on the wall and on the Indian faces. It was game, set and match Australia.
