Australia beats India by 18 runs! =(

Australia beat India by 18 runs in 49.1 in the 10th match of the CB series at SCG.

Gambhir blazed 113 from 119 deliveries, including nine boundaries and one six, in a gallant attempt to lead his side towards an unlikely victory.

He was eventually stumped by Adam Gilchrist off the bowling of Brad Hogg trying desperately trying to increase the run rate handing the ascendancy back to the Australians.

Gambhir earlier combined with skipper MS Dhoni to breathe new life into a lifeless Indian innings which was struggling at 4 for 51 after only 10 overs.

There partnership lasted 98 runs before Dhoni edged behind after some tidy bowling by Nathan Bracken for 36.

The Indian's collapsed to 51 for 4 in the 11th over as the returning Brett Lee and consistent Stuart Clark ripped through the tourists' top order.

Ponting back in form

Ricky Ponting broke out of a batting slump Sunday with a 124-run innings to lead Australia to 317-7 against India in a tri-series limited-overs match.

The Australian captain blasted 124 off 132 balls to put his team in a commanding position at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Hayden batted for 62 balls for his 54 runs and hit five fours and a six.

Ponting appeared to have another good stand going with Michael Clarke (31) when the latter hit a rank long hop from Virender Sehwag straight to Rohit Sharma at short square leg.

Symonds opened his shoulders in the final overs and smashed a massive six, in Pathan's final spell in the 47th over, raised his half century from 44 balls with five fours and two sixes.

In six innings this series before Sunday's match, Ponting had only scored 64 runs at 10.66, and scored only moderately in the preceding Test series.

Symonds on rampage

Andrew Symonds scored 59 off 49 balls to end his lean form, and Matthew Hayden (54 off 62 balls) reached a half century before being run out, as the home side's batsmen clicked into gear.

Symonds, at the center of a name-calling controversy with Harbhajan Singh during the Australia-India Test series, had a fiery exchange with Ishant Sharma after the paceman bowled him with a slower ball.

The umpires intervened to try to cool down Sharma as Symonds trudged off the ground.

Soon after Ponting, whose 133-ball knock was studded with seven fours and a six, holed out in the deep and the Aussie skipper was clapped all the way to the dressing room by the entire Indian team.

Openers Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden burst out of the blocks with some damaging strokeplay, before Gilchrist was caught brilliantly by Indian skipper MS Dhoni for 16 from just seven deliveries.

If India win today Sri Lanka will need a miracle to overhaul them and would have to rely on bonus-point victories in their fixtures on Tuesday and Friday.

Australia have already secured their place in the final, collecting 22 points from six games. India, on 12 points, has a handy six-point lead over their sub-continent rivals with one round of matches to go.