The smug giant was emphatically felled at the Gabba on Tuesday night as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men kept their tryst with history. A tense nine-run victory swept India to a 2-0 verdict over Australia in the finals of the triangular series, an exceptional result given the controversies that have dogged the team all summer long.

The Gabba wasn't the cauldron for either the weak-hearted or the weak-kneed to be in. Showing nerves of steel and a fire that has been a constant ally through most parts of the troubled summer, India crushed Australian optimism with a performance that wasn't so much commanding as full of character.

For the second time in three days, Sachin Tendulkar was at the forefront of India's triumphant run, top-scoring with a beautifully controlled 91 as India raised 258 for nine from 50 overs. Dhoni would have settled for that score upon winning the toss, though he would also have rued an opportunity lost as India failed to build significantly from being 175 for two in the 35th over.

That said, it was a total designed to test any team in any conditions, let alone in a must-win situation under lights. Praveen Kumar emerged the bowling hero -- and the man of the match -- with three strikes in his first spell, and the rest rallied around him admirably with Harbhajan Singh again outstanding as, despite James Hopes' battling effort, Australia were dismissed for 249 in the final over.

Having drawn first blood on Sunday at the SCG, India took Dhoni's luck with the coin as the first indication that this too could be their day. Robin Uthappa and Tendulkar provided them with their best start of the tournament, and the middle-order all played their strokes with gay abandon as Tendulkar assumed the anchor's role, making light of the groin strain that increasingly troubled him with time spent in the middle.

Tendulkar on Sunday night had been at his stroke-making best; on Tuesday, he was more subdued, inhibited by his injury and therefore intelligent and classy enough to play within himself without putting a brake on the scoring. Uthappa too adopted a different mien from his normal flamboyant approach, determined to minimise damage with the new ball and happy to soak in batting alongside the maestro.

Regal disdain

Just for a brief while, Tendulkar shed studied circumspection, treating Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson with regal disdain. As quickly, he held his horses, the calming influence as Gautam Gambhir, then Yuvraj Singh blazed away to build on the 94-run (125b) opening-wicket alliance.

Both fell playing big strokes against part-time spinners, but it was when Tendulkar was dismissed, somewhat tamely as he walked down the pitch and scooped Michael Clarke for Ricky Ponting to take a smart catch at short mid-wicket, that the wheels came off. The runs dried up, and in desperation, adventurous hits were attempted when rotating the strike would have been a better option. The last 15 overs yielded just 83 despite India having seven wickets in hand; 258 was challenging without being intimidating.

Praveen spoilt Adam Gilchrist's farewell party in the first over, then extended Ponting's anguish as the Aussie captain -- who can't buy a run, it seems -- miscued a pull to mid-on.  The pull was to inflict further damage on Australia, a fluent Clarke undone by one that kept a shade low and knocked off-peg back.

Like on Sunday, Australia were rallied by Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds, local lads that sparked the hopes of 28,548 fans. Hayden, belligerently, and Symonds took the fight to India in adding an innings-retrieving 89 (100b); both fell in the same Harbhajan over, the former run out after a mix-up and the latter trapped palpably in front two deliveries later, playing half forward. Symonds, who had earlier shoulder-charged a streaker, would have felt his world collapse at falling to his bugbear for a second straight game, and the Indians ensured the excitable Harbhajan didn't get too pumped up as they swallowed him in a huddle that lasted an eternity.

Hopes laboured on manfully with Mike Hussey -- though Simon Taufel's call to third umpire Bruce Oxenford to check if the latter had got an edge to S Sreesanth, and not so much whether it carried to Dhoni, defied logic and belief -- but he was always fighting a lone, losing battle. India kept their nerve, and when Irfan Pathan redeemed an ordinary day by defending 13 successfully in the final over, the Gabba -- and Australia -- had been decisively conquered.

SCORE BOARD

INDIA

Uthappa c Hopes b Clark 30
(49b, 1x4)
Tendulkar c Ponting b Clarke 91
(121b, 7x4)
Gambhir c Johnson b Clarke 15
(16b, 1x4)
Yuvraj c Hayden b Symonds 38
(38b, 2x4, 2x6)
Dhoni c Clarke b Bracken 36
(37b, 2x4, 1x6)
Rohit c Symonds b Clarke 2
(5b)
Pathan b Bracken 12
(20b, 1x4)
Harbhajan lbw Lee 3
(3b)
Praveen c Ponting b Bracken 7
(7b, 1x4)
Chawla (not out) 6
(2b, 1x4)
Sreesanth (not out) 1
(2b)
Extras (LB-5, W-12) 17
Total (for 9 wkts, 50 overs) 258
Fall of wickets: 1-94 (Uthappa), 2-121 (Gambhir), 3-175 (Yuvraj), 4-205 (Tendulkar), 5-209 (Rohit), 6-237 (Pathan), 7-240 (Dhoni), 8-249 (Harbhajan), 9-255 (Praveen).
Bowling: Lee 10-0-58-1 (w-1), Bracken 9-1-31-3, Clark 6-0-32-1 (w-1), Johnson 6-0-33-0 (w-8), Hopes 6-0-20-0, Clarke 10-0-52-3 (w-1), Symonds 3-0-27-1 (w-1).
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 14/0; 10: 36/0; 15: 66/0; 20: 92/0; 25: 121/1; 30: 144/2; 35: 175/5; 40: 207/4; 45: 220/5; end of innings: 258/9 in 50 overs.
Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10 overs: 36/0; Power Play 2: 11-15 overs: 30; Power Play 3 (three men out): 16-20 overs: 26/0.

AUSTRALIA

Gilchrist c Dhoni b Praveen 2
(3b)
Hayden (run out) 55
(68b, 7x4)
Ponting c Yuvraj b Praveen 1
(7b)
Clarke b Praveen 17
(22b, 1x4)
Symonds lbw Harbhajan 40
(56b, 2x4, 1x6)
Hussey c Dhoni b Sreesanth 44
(42b, 3x4)
Hopes c Chawla b Pathan 63
(80b, 4x4, 1x6)
Lee b Praveen 7
(12b)
Johnson c Dhoni b Sreesanth 8
(6b, 1x4)
Bracken c Chawla b Pathan 1
(2b)
Clark (not out) 0
(0b)
Extras (LB-2, W-7) 9
Total (all out, 49.4 overs) 249
Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Gilchrist), 2-8 (Ponting), 3-32 (Clarke), 4-121 (Hayden), 5-123 (Symonds), 6-199 (Hussey), 7-228 (Lee), 8-238 (Johnson), 9-247 (Bracken).
Bowling: Praveen 10-2-46-4, Sreesanth 9-0-43-2 (w-2), Pathan 8.4-4-54-2 (w-4), Harbhajan 10-0-44-1 (w-1), Chawla 9-0-45-0, Yuvraj 3-0-15-0.
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 13/2; 10: 36/3; 15: 56/3; 20: 81/3; 25: 115/3; 30: 138/5; 35: 160/5; 40: 183/5; 45: 223/6; end of innings: 249 all out in 49.4 overs.
Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10 overs: 36/3; Power Play 2: 11-15 overs: 20/0; Power Play 3 (three men out): 16-20 overs: 25/0.