Take A Bow, Australia

India's World Cup dreams were shattered by a savagebatting assault from holders Australia who reaffirmed their status as the bestone-day side with a comprehensive victory in the final at The Wanderers inJohannesburg today for a record third title.

Ricky Ponting led his side to a 125-run victory with ablazing captain's knock of 140 not out that propelled Australia to itsbiggest-ever one-day score, a virtually unassailable total of 359 for two, alsothe highest in any World Cup final.

The 1983 champions India, handicapped with thefirst-over dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar, fought hard till the 40th over butmanaged only 234 runs. Virender Sehwag kept India in the hunt for some time witha sparkling innings of 82 but the target proved too much.

The Indian pace attack, which had been highly impressive in this tournament, letthe team down in the most important match after Saurav Ganguly had elected tofield on a pitch that offered substantial help to the seamers.

The trio of Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and AshishNehra, who have a combined tally of 49 wickets in this tournament, were togetherplundered for 211 runs from 27 overs without any success.

Apart from Ponting, who smashed eight sixes and fourfours in his 121-ball knock, Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist also helpedthemselves to fine half-centuries. Martyn, who was associated in a record234-run unbeaten partnership with Ponting, made 88 not out while Gilchristscored 57 from just 48 balls.

Matthew Hayden, who made 37, was the only batsman notto have registered a half-century in Australia's run-feast which saw the teamemulating West Indies in winning back to back World Cup titles.

Australia remained unbeaten in this tournament, anunprecedented achievement, and extended their one-day winning streak to 17.

Faced with a target that has never been chased before, the Indians were underpressure right from the start. Their biggest shock came in the fifth ball of thefirst over when Tendulkar, who had amassed 669 runs in this tournament from 10previous innings, was dismissed by Glenn McGrath for just four runs.

Tendulkar, who struck a boundary in the fourth ball ofthe over, miscued a pull shot in the next delivery to give a simple return catchto McGrath who finished with three wickets for 52 runs.

Sehwag and Ganguly lived on the edges in a 54-runpartnership for the second wicket with India, who had successfully chased two320-plus totals last year, looking totally helpless by the enormity of the task.

Both of them survived some close calls, with Sehwageven being caught off a no-ball, but continued with their policy of attackingthe opening bowlers, McGrath and Brett Lee. Ganguly hit three fours and a six inhis 25-ball 24 before skying a Lee delivery to Darren Lehmann at mid-on.

A third-ball dismissal of NatWest final hero MohammadKaif, who failed to score, reduced India to 59 for three in the 11th over.

Sehwag, who struck 10 fours and three sixes in his 81-ball innings, kept India'sslim hopes alive with some big hitting when the Australians, sensing rain,introduced Bradd Hogg and Darren Lehmann in a bid to quickly complete 25 overs,the minimum required for a valid match.

Rain did interrupt the proceedings with India placed on103 for 3 in 17 overs but only for 23 minutes as the sun came out again much tothe disappointment of the partisan Indian crowd at the stadium which wasfrantically hoping that rain would wash out today's play forcing the match to beplayed all over again on the reserve day tomorrow.

But that was not to be and play resumed without anyreduction in the number of overs. Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, who made 47, puttogether a 88-run partnership for the fifth wicket in 13 overs before Sehwag wasrun out while going for a quick single.

The dismissal of Sehwag also dashed India's hopes as adefeat became inevitable.

Realistically, the game was lost much earlier when Australia piled on the hugetotal.

The fast bowlers who had bowled so well throughout thetournament were probably unnerved by the big occasion and were completelydirectionless, conceding as many as 37 extras, the maximum in the final of aWorld Cup.

Zaheer Khan sent down as many as eight extras in thevery first over which went for 15 runs. He finished with 67 runs from sevenovers while Srinath was taken for 87 from his ten.

Taking full advantage, Gilchrist and Hayden smashed 80runs in the first 10 overs which set the tone for the rest of the innings.Gilchrist hit eight fours and a six before miscueing a shot against HarbhajanSingh, the only successful bowler for India, to be caught by Sehwag, but theAussies had already put up 105 runs on the board by then.

Harbhajan also took the only other wicket to fall, thatof Hayden who scored 37, when the batsman edged a beautiful spinning deliveryinto the hands of wicketkeeper Dravid.

It was Ponting and Martyn all the way after that, theduo plundering 234 runs for the unfinished third wicket in 30 overs. Martyn,back into the team after missing the last game due to injury, outscored hispartner in the first part of their association before Ponting simply exploded.

Ponting, who took 74 balls to reach his fifty with just one four, smashed theremaining 90 runs in just 47 balls which included all the eight sixes and threefours.

Martyn, who notched up his highest score in World Cup,was reduced to just an admiring spectator in the latter part of theirpartnership as Ponting single-handedly trampled upon the Indian attack.

His 140 was the best score by any Australian againstIndia, improving on the 133 not out by Mark Waugh at Pune in 2000-01.

Australia's total was also the highest recorded by anyteam against India.

PTI