Ponting paves the way

Ricky Ponting's century propels Australia to a daunting total of 317 for seven

Australia captain Ricky Ponting made a spectacular return to form with 124 to lead Australia to an 18-run victory over India in the Commonwealth Bank Series in Sydney.

The hosts set India a daunting target of 318, with Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds smashing half-centuries.

Gautam Gambhir's 113 gave India hope and a spirited fightback from the lower order made for a tense finish, but Brett Lee took 5-58 to seal Australia’s win.

Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa led the resistance, with the latter smashing 51 off 43 balls, but their hopes of an unlikely win were obliterated by Lee, whose scalps included the prize wicket of Sachin Tendulkar for two.

Gambhir earlier hit 113 off 119 balls to rescue the tourists following the losses of Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, who was caught behind off Stuart Clark for 17.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni chipped in with 36 but edged Lee to wicketkeeper Gilchrist, who then stumped Ghambir to slow India's momentum.

Irfan Pathan made a quickfire 22 off 21 balls before being dismissed by James Hopes as India sensed an upset, but Lee was in no mood for a nail-biting finish.

He took the scalps of Harbhajan and Uthappa with consecutive slower balls in the 48th over. The former skied an outside edge to Gilchrist before Uthappa launched one straight to Mike Hussey at mid-wicket.

And Lee claimed the final wicket by bowling Ishant Sharma with a blistering yorker.

An airborne Brett Lee celebrates one of his five wickets © Getty Images

After winning the toss and deciding to bat, Australia overcame the early loss of Gilchrist to post a mammoth 317 for seven.

The retiring wicketkeeper blasted 16 off just seven balls before Sri Sreesanth nipped one back into the left-hander and Dhoni took the inside edge behind the stumps.

That brought Ponting to the crease and he and Hayden brought up Australia's 100 in 75 balls as Sreesanth and Ishant Sharma bore the brunt of the blitz.

The introduction of spinner Harbhajan put the brakes on the scoring, however, but Hayden still completed his fifty off 58 balls with hit five fours and a six.

Ponting followed shortly afterwards, his half-century coming off 51 balls as the 33-year-old also struck five boundaries and a six, and the pair shared a century stand at slightly better than a run a ball.

But their partnership was broken 10 runs later when Ponting drove Sehwag to Rohit Sharma at short mid-off and Hayden set off for a quick single. The opener was rightly sent back by Ponting and finished well short of his ground when Sehwag whipped off the bails at the bowler's end.

Ponting and Michael Clarke ticked along before the latter perished for 31 when he pulled a long-hop from Sehwag straight to Rohit Sharma at square-leg.

Ponting made his 26th one-day international hundred of 111 balls with a scurried single before passing 11,000 runs in limited-overs cricket shortly afterwards.

Symonds brought up his fifty when he dispatched a short delivery from Pathan into the stand, and then cut the same bowler for four in over costing 18.

Symonds was was bowled by Ishant Sharma’s slower ball, and Ponting eventually departed when he holed out to Pathan on the boundary before Hopes and Lee were run out in the final over.