Let down by the batsmen, India slumped to a 24-run defeat in the fourth one-dayer against Australia in Mohali.
This defeat not only allowed Australia to level the seven-match series 2-2 but also prolonged the hosts' wait to become the number one ODI team in the world.
Chasing 251, India got off to a flier with Virender Sehwag (30 off 19 balls) looking eager to wrap up the issue and Sachin Tendulkar (40) going great guns.
But their undoing was no less spectacular as the middle and lowe! r could not forge a single significant partnership and the team folded for 226 in 46.4 overs.
Earlier put into bat, Australia stitched together half-centuries from Ponting (52) and White (62) and cameos from Shane Watson (49) and Michael Hussey (40) to reach 250 before wilting in 49.2 overs.
India's chase got off to a blazing start with Sehwag displaying the kind of power-hitting on which he has built his career around.
The first ball raced to the fence off his blade faster than it had arrived and it was a bad omen for Mitchell Johnson.
The hapless birthday boy copped three boundaries in his next over and an encore of the treatment meant the Australian spearhead had hemorrhaged 34 runs in his first three overs before Ponting spared further trauma by withdrawing him from attack.
Teams:
India: SR Tendulkar, V Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, SK Raina, V Kohli, MS Dhoni*†, RA Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, A Nehra, P Kumar, I Sharma.
Australia: SR Watson, SE Marsh, RT Ponting*, CL White, MEK Hussey, MC Henriques, MG Johnson, GA Manou†, NM Hauritz, PM Siddle, DE Bollinger.
