~~India Vs. Australia House~~ - Page 2

Sachin Tendulkar is still hungry for international cricket

Tendulkar will open the batting against Australia in the fifth match of the seven-ODI series against Australia, with the tourists leading 2-1.

Meanwhile, uncapped batsman Subramaniam Badrinath, 27, comes into the squad to replace the injured Gautam Gambhir.

He hit a double century for India A against South Africa and said of his chance: "It's a dream come true."

Badrinath added: "Playing for India has been a childhood dream for me and I am delighted that I am close to achieving that now."

Hard luck, you're going to lose now Sree Santh to Andrew Symonds in fourth ODI

Gambhir will miss the rest of the series after sitting out Monday's victory over the world champions.

The toss in Vadodara on Thursday could be absolutely crucial, with no team yet able to post a win when batting second.

Their batsmen had struggled until that triumph in Chandigarh, in which Tendulkar made a battling 79 and Sourav Ganguly weighed in with 41.

Chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar warned last week that senior players' places would come under threat from the likes of Badrinath unless their form improved.

Badrinath has been prolific for the India A team in recent months

He said of the Tamil Nadu right-hander: "Players like Badrinath are waiting for their chance and you cannot ignore them.

"It's a professional set-up and nobody can take their place for granted."

The squad for the remaining two matches will be decided after Thursday's encounter.

Meanwhile, Sree Santh, India's fast bowler, has admitted he taunted Andrew Symonds after the Australian batsman was dismissed on Monday.

Santh told reporters he used the words: "Hard luck, you're going to lose now" to the Queensland all-rounder, but denied allegations that he had also clapped in his face.

The irony was that the hot-headed Santh had been rested for the encounter, but was in the vicinty of Australia's batsmen as they walked back to the dressing-room.

India have lost just once in five matches in Vadodara, a city in the dry state of Gujarat, and racked up 341-3 in beating West Indies here in January.

The only other player to reach 400 caps in one-dayers is Sanath Jayasuriya, 38, who on Wednesday was playing his 402nd match in Colombo against England.

Johnson left the Indians reeling with a devastating burst

Johnson took 5-26 and Gilchrist matched the world record of six catches for a keeper as India were skittled for 148.

Only Sachin Tendulkar, who made 47 in his 400th ODI game, managed to trouble the world champions on a good pitch.

Gilchrist crashed a superb unbeaten 79, with three sixes in one over, as they eased home in just under 26 overs.

India came into the game buoyed by Monday's win in Chandigarh but the batting problems that afflicted them before that returned with a vengeance.

Sourav Ganguly was run out when Tendulkar sent him back in the first over and Brett Lee nipped the next ball back to trap Rahul Dravid plumb lbw.

Gilchrist held on brilliantly when Yuvraj Singh chased a ball outside off-stump in Johnson's second over, and the left-armer angled one in to win a leg-before verdict against Robin Uthappa.

When skipper Mahendra Dhoni flicked a leg-side delivery to a diving Gilchrist, severe embarrassment was on the cards, but a patient partnership for the sixth wicket averted that.

Irfan Pathan struck a huge six off spinner Brad Hogg in his 63-ball 26, while Tendulkar played some majestic drives to collect nine fours.

However, Lee and Johnson produced good deliveries to have both caught behind, before Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik perished in tame fashion.

Zaheer Khan clubbed Nathan Bracken and slog-swept Hogg for massive maximums but the 41 runs he added with RP Singh at the end were nothing more than a mild nuisance for the world champions.

Johnson finished with the best analysis for an Australian bowler in a limited-overs game in India leaving the hosts requiring something special to make a contest of it.

Dhoni caused a stir by opening with Harbhajan and the off-spinner troubled Matthew Hayden - who needed James Hopes to run for him after appearing to pull a hamstring in the first over - and Gilchrist by extracting sharp turn.

In fact, India had two spinners on by the seventh over, with Gilchrist fortunate when he sliced slow left-armer Kartik over Zaheer at mid-off.

Hayden was content to just club the pacemen from a standing position, collecting four boundaries before RP Singh bowled him for 29 off an inside edge.

Gilchrist merely stepped up his assault to thrash Kartik over deep square-leg, long-on and down the ground for three maximums in the 14th over.

He also heaved Harbhajan over deep mid-wicket for a six and captain Ricky Ponting (39no) was no slouch either as they hurried to the target, leaving one section of the home fans to register their disapproval by hurling bottles on to the field.

Ponting helped himself to successive boundaries off Harbhajan before Gilchrist provided two more off Kartik to finish the game with almost half an innings to spare.

"Sachin batted well and we had a partnership at the end but we never had the runs to defend.

"Johnson and Lee bowled superbly, hitting the right areas, and the start they got was a killer for us.

"We have a couple of matches to go and have to play to our full capabilities. We're better off forgetting this game."

"Mitchell's spell with the new ball was outstanding. He and Brett swung the new ball a lot, which was India's downfall, and all the guys executed their skills well.

"The bowlers did a terrific job and Gilly, once he gets in, is capable of doing anything.

"Some of the striking of the ball was first-class on a wicket that wasn't easy to bat on against the spinners."