When the dust settled, India found themselves on the wrong side of an 18-run margin and with plenty of work ahead as they seek a berth in the finals. But while they were defeated, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's brave band was hardly disgraced.

The best batting surface of the tri-series provided a veritable run feast at the SCG on an action-packed Sunday. Ricky Ponting made the most of the conditions to wend his way out of a poor run with an authoritative 26th one-day hundred, an effort matched in style and substance by Gautam Gambhir's second hundred of this competition.
The difference, however, lay in the starts to the respective innings. Australia got off to a flyer and finished with 317 for seven; India stuttered early in their run chase, slipping to 51 for four before rallying to post 299, impressive but not just enough.

Man of the match Ponting was the biggest gainer from Sunday's skirmishes. Under scrutiny after six previous innings had yielded 64, he was fortunate that Dhoni lost the toss and allowed the Australians first use of the best batting conditions. And gee, did they make use, or what!

Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden got them off to the most frenetic start imaginable as S Sreesanth -- coming in for Munaf Patel, down with food poisoning -- and Ishant Sharma were clattered around. The early pressure dissipated by equal measures of fortune and bravado, Ponting relished the platform provided with a stunning innings replete with handsome strokes.

Great puller

At his best, there is no better puller in contemporary cricket than the Aussie skipper. When he pulls as well as he did on Sunday, taking the ball on top of its bounce early and hitting it in front of mid-wicket, danger signs begin to flash in the opposition ranks. Dhoni recognised the signs, but he was clueless in preventing his counterpart from running away with the game as the placidity of the track made sure batsmen could only be dismissed only through over-adventurism.

With Ponting in the mood and Hayden too keen to cash in, India were sent on a hiding to nothing. The second-wicket pair realised 110 (108b), raising visions a 350-plus total. To the eternal credit of India's bowlers, and especially the three-pronged spin attack -- Harbhajan Singh was brilliantly complemented by part-timers Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh -- they managed to hold their own in the middle stages, slowing the progress down considerably until Andrew Symonds provided the final flourish.

The big all-rounder had a worse record than Ponting -- 42 from six -- before this game, but he cut loose in spectacular fashion, opening his broad shoulders and mocking the length of the boundaries.

The dominant partner in the 102-run (93b) fourth-wicket stand with Ponting, Symonds brought up a blistering half-century ended by an Ishant slower delivery, and resulting in a war of words between the victor and the vanquished.

Vanquished

India appeared the vanquished at the very start of the innings, Sachin Tendulkar adjudged leg before in a very marginal call by Tony Hill in the very first over to Brett Lee. On his comeback, Lee picked up a five-wicket haul, aided by Gilchrist equalling the record for most one-day dismissals -- six -- by a stumper, but the express bowler has bowled better without like rewards.

Just as Sehwag and Gambhir were beginning to set stall, India lost three for six in 10 deliveries; it seemed game over then, but Gambhir had other ideas.

His first ally in a stirring counter-attack came in the form of Dhoni, restrained without being scoreless. Dhoni worked the gaps and played to the situations, but his left-handed partner was in aggressive mood, cracking cuts and crunchy pulls keeping India in the hunt, however distantly. Gambhir has clearly grown as a batsman on this tour, playing with a freedom that comes with the knowledge that he has been assured a long rope by his captain. His 98-run (122b) stand with Dhoni settled Indian nerves; Aussie nerves began to fray when Robin Uthappa came out swinging, and took the fight to the opposition.

Uthappa has talked the talk for long. On Sunday, he walked the talk too, as in a commanding flat-bat pull off a Lee free-hit ball; he was cheeky and innovative even as Gambhir was correct and attractive.

Together, they added 67 (54b) to raise hopes of an improbable win; the lower-order contributed gamely, but in the end, it was a bridge too far.