Kumble bows out in draw

Anil Kumble appeals during his last spell for India when he took the new ball today

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Anil Kumble bowled his last ball for India as the third Test with Australia ended in a draw.

The India skipper announced his retirement before calling a halt to India’s second innings on 208 for five, a lead of 244.

That left a possible 23 overs remaining in the day and Kumble came out to bowl four wicketless overs before the captains shook hands.

VVS Laxman had backed up his first innings double hundred with a an unbeaten half-century in the second earlier on the fifth day.

Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson raised faint hopes of a dramatic Australia victory with a wicket apiece in the morning session, but that prospect was ground into the dust at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

Gautam Gambhir (36) and Sachin Tendulkar (47) kept India afloat until Laxman (57 not out) and Sourav Ganguly (32 not out) led India to their declaration total deep into the final session.

That left Australia with the improbable task of chasing 245 for victory and Kumble opened proceedings with the new ball.

Matthew Hayden (16 not out) and Simon Katich (14 not out), however, denied the prolific leg-spinner a final hurrah as they reached 31 for no loss when stumps were drawn after eight overs had been bowled.

Kumble shook hands with his team-mates, both Australian batsman and the umpires at the end, and was carried around the ground on the shoulders of his successor Mahendra Singh Dhoni for one last farewell at the Kotla, a venue which had brought him immense success.

The result means India take a 1-0 lead into the fourth and final Test at Nagpur, which starts on Friday, but Australia will retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy should they win there.

India got the final day off to a steady start, Gambhir and Rahul Dravid (11) seeing off the first few overs with ease.

VVS Laxman drives during his unbeaten 59 which ensured Australia will have to win in the final Test

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Dravid looked good during his stay at the crease, but his innings ended when Brett Lee got him to play a full delivery back onto his stumps. Dravid had gone down on one knee in an attempt to drive, but only managed an inside edge.

Gambhir started off in fine fashion, clipping Lee to the square-leg boundary off the first delivery of the day. He later settled down to play a cautious innings, scrambling the singles and hitting the boundary off the loose ball.

He fell just two overs before the lunch interval, umpire Aleem Dar upholding a shout for lbw. Replays, however, suggested the ball was going down leg. Gambhir had cracked five boundaries during his 107-delivery vigil at the crease.

Gambhir had added 40 runs for the fourth wicket with Tendulkar.

Tendulkar was snaffled three runs short of a half-century, uncharacteristically guiding Cameron White straight to Hayden at first slip.

It was the second time leg-spinner White, the only specialist spinner in the Australia side, had dismissed Tendulkar in the series.

Meanwhile, Laxman continued where he left off in the first innings.

He hit Michael Clarke for consecutive boundaries as he moved within two runs of a half-century and brought up the mark with a cover-driven boundary off the part-time left-arm spinner.

Ganguly exuded defiance as he danced down the track to cart Clarke over long-on for a six, helping steer India to a position of safety.

Ganguly's knock came off 53 deliveries, containing three boundaries and one six.

Laxman's innings was punctuated by seven boundaries, before being called to halt to allow Kumble to say his goodbye.