BBC SPORT | Special Events | 2001 | India v Australia

One-day international, Visakhapatnam: Australia 338-4 (50 overs) beat India 245 (45 overs) by 93 runs
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Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting made centuries as Australia squared the best-of-five series at 2-2 with a convincing victory at the Indira Priyadarshini Stadium.

They shared a stand of 219 as the tourists achieved their highest limited overs international score against India.

Hayden scored 111 - his maiden one-day hundred - and Ponting made 101 as the tourists left India a target which was out of reach once Sachin Tendulkar had been dismissed for 62.

Harbhajan Singh gave their innings a late flourish with 46 off only 34 balls, but Australia wrapped up the match to set up a series decider in Goa on Friday.

Early setback

Adam Gilchrist hammered a boundary in the opening over of the match, but Javagal Srinath took his revenge to have the left-hander caught behind for six with his next delivery.

Australia kept their composure and had 50 on the board in the 10th over when Ponting square cut left-armer Zaheer Khan to the point fence.

Hayden repeated the form which brought him 549 runs in six innings in the Test series, playing some powerful strokes off the quicker bowlers and used the sweep to good effect when Sourav Ganguly turned to his spinners.

Ponting's scored his seventh one-day ton
Ponting scored his seventh one-day ton

His 50 included four boundaries and he increased his tempo to reach a maiden one-day century off 101 balls, after falling one run short of three figures in the opening match at Bangalore.

Ponting took only four balls more for his hundred, his seventh in limited overs internationals, but he was then caught by Tendulkar off Ajit Agarkar after hitting 13 boundaries.

Hayden followed in the 40th over when he was stumped off Harbhajan Singh for 111, which included two sixes and eight fours.

It left Australia on 246 for three but Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan continued the run spree by adding another 58 in eight overs before Waugh was dismissed for 35.

Bevan finished unbeaten on 43 with Shane Lee reaching 25 not out after hammering four boundaries in his 11-ball innings.

Tendulkar's boundary barrage

To have any hope of victory, India needed a good start and Tendulkar got them off to a flier as Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming were unable to find the required accuracy.

McGrath was unusually expensive, conceding 40 in his opening six-over spell, as Tendulkar continued the form which brought him a hundred in the third game.

He struck 11 boundaries in a dazzling 38-ball knock, but was then caught by Waugh off left-armer Nathan Bracken, who had earlier removed Ganguly for nine.

Leg-spinner Shane Warne had Vangiparuppu Laxman stumped for 11 and then took a return catch to dismiss Rahul Dravid.

Captain Waugh brought himself into the attack and his medium pacers accounted for Hemang Badani (25), Robin Singh (16) and Ajit Agarkar as the home side slumped to 169 for eight.

Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh held up Australia's march towards victory with some uninhibited shots in a ninth wicket stand of 59.

Singh hit three sixes and three fours and Khan made 29 off 28 balls but McGrath came good by dismissing them both in successive overs to wrap up the match.

Teams

India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Rahul Dravid, SachinTendulkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Hemang Badani, Robin Singh, Vijay Dahiya, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Javagal Srinath.

Australia (from):Steve Waugh (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Michael Bevan, Damien Martyn, Shane Lee, Shane Warne, Damien Fleming, Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath.