Spinners inspire India to 2-0 win against Australia

At the end of a schizophrenic session, India maintained their authority over the final Test, taking three wickets in the first two hours on day five to leave Australia at 111 for 3. After a good catch to dismiss Simon Katich and a brilliant run out by Amit Mishra to nail Ricky Ponting, India's butterfingered fielders dropped Matthew Hayden twice and misfielded with sloppy regularity. Hayden rode his luck to finish the session on 46, helping Australia score 98 at 4.56 an over in the session. The intent was clear, despite the early wickets, but Australia still face a tough ask to square the Border-Gavaskar trophy

India began the day well. Katich had played the horizontal shot a couple times, once connecting with a swing to the deep square-leg boundary, but trying to work a short ball across to the on side once too often, he skied Ishant Sharma into orbit. Mahendra Singh Dhoni didn't for a second take his eyes off the swirling ball - 29 for 1.

Zaheer Khan produced an edge from the first delivery bowled to Ponting, squared up on the back foot, but the ball didn't carry to Rahul Dravid at first slip. One classy on-drive later, Ponting, was wastefully run out for four. He dabbed and set off for an extremely ambitious single and Mishra, screaming in from mid-off, threw down the stumps with a brilliant underarm pick-up and fling - 37 for 2.

Ishant couldn't believe Michael Clarke wasn't given lbw by the umpire Billy Bowden in the next over when the ball incriminatingly thudded into his left pad - replays showed it would have clipped leg stump - while Zaheer grit his teeth when the batsman twice edged wide of second slip in three balls. Hayden also chopped through the slips, looking to score off almost every delivery against the new ball. But India missed a big opportunity when he was on 30. Harbhajan Singh came in after 12 overs and cursed under his breath when Dhoni dropped a regulation edge as Hayden went to cut the second ball for four as well.

The dismissal of Clarke for 22, nibbling at a lovely delivery after Ishant plugged away on an exemplary length, seemed to have nailed it decisively India's way at 82 for 3. Then Dravid, at slip, dropped Hayden on 36 when the batsman went for another powerful reverse-sweep. To add to the mess, needless overthrows and misfields in the circle allowed Australia easy runs as they set about chasing a big score.