The run chase began disastrously for the Indians. After pulling Glenn McGrath unconvincingly to the midwicket fence off the fourth ball, Tendulkar tried to repeat the shot off the very next ball. The extra bounce beat Tendulkar and the resultant top edge bobbed straight up in the air for McGrath to catch in his follow-through.

The Australians had the big wicket they wanted; Tendulkar was back in the pavilion and a mere four runs were on the board.

Sourav Ganguly, coming out to bat at number three, had his work cut out. There was no time to get his eye in as the required run-rate was climbing with every passing over. Remember, to begin with the Indians needed to score at more than seven runs per over.

After top edging McGrath over the keeper for his first boundary, Ganguly unveiled a few sparkling hits. Coming down the track, Ganguly carted McGrath into the stands over point.

Desperately uncomfortable in the face of some fierce short-pitched bowling from Brett Lee, Sehwag struggled to get going. Playing and missing at several deliveries, the explosive opener’s time out in the middle was fraught with danger. Never more so than in the fourth over when he flicked Lee straight to Martyn at square leg, only to see the umpire call a no-ball!

Ganguly managed two more clean hits, but was finally caught out by Lee. A short ball induced the pull, which Ganguly failed to control. Darren Lehmann gleefully accepted the simple catch that came his way and Ganguly was sent back on 24.

Mohammad Kaif coming out to the middle with the score on 58/2 seemed overawed by the big occasion, and was out for a duck off just the third ball he faced, having a big heave against that master of line and length – McGrath.

While the wickets fell, Sehwag slowly grew in confidence.

With rain just around the corner, Ricky Ponting turned to his slow bowlers, in order to get as many overs completed as possible. Brad Hogg and Darren Lehmann were introduced early and Sehwag went after both of them. Three consecutive boundaries off Lehmann in the 14th over got the Indian fans in the ground on their feet.

Hogg too got a taste of the action, going for a four over cover and a six over long on off the third and fourth balls of the 15th over.

When the rain got so heavy that players were forced to retreat to the safety of the dressing rooms, Sehwag had bludgeoned his way to 56 (55 balls, 7 fours) and a worried Rahul Dravid was on 12. India were 103/3 in 17 overs and reaching for their Duckworth/Lewis print outs.

At the half-way mark, Australia were merely in a strong position at 155/2. Two new batsmen were at the crease and Ganguly looked to his slow men to apply the pressure. In a move that some people would read as an admission of the error the Indian think-tank had made in leaving out Anil Kumble, Ganguly eked out 15 overs of spin from Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Mongia and Yuvraj Singh.

Under no pressure whatsoever after the start they were given, the stylish duo of Martyn and Ponting took their time to get well set. Milking the bowling was the order of the day and this was hardly a difficult task.

India’s part-time bowlers were not up to the task of bowling to a pair of well-set, high-class batsmen. The late cuts slid perfectly into the gaps and monstrous pulls gave the men on the leg side no chance at all. And when Ponting reached his half-century off 74 balls, the flood gates burst open.

Australia’s captain showed the world exactly what he was capable of perpetrating on hapless bowlers beginning with consecutive sixes off Harbhajan Singh. Having brought the spinner back on to try and wrest the initiative back, Ganguly could only watch in despair, arms akimbo as balls sailed over midwicket and several rows back.

While Ponting bludgeoned, Martyn seemed to be happy accumulating runs by finding gaps that you did not know existed. Caressing and coaxing the ball to the fence rather than attempting to hit the cover off it, Martyn brought up his half-century in just 46 balls.

With India on the mat and a strong batting line-up to follow, either of these batsmen could have gone all out for glory and perished to a loose stroke. But that simply does not seem to be part of the Australian way.

Ganguly turned to his pacemen once more, out of desperation rather than inspiration and this suited Ponting just fine.

A Nehra slower ball was clattered into the stands at square leg and Zaheer Khan’s attempted yorker was sent on its way for a six over midwicket with a most remarkable short-arm jab.

The rousing applause that Ponting got when he reached his 13th ODI century in the 46th over, was well deserved. A captain’s innings if there ever was one, on the biggest stage one-day cricket can throw up, saw Australia post a mammoth total. Incredibly, Ponting’s ton came off just 103 balls, and before you reach for your calculators, this means that his second 50 runs came off just 29 balls.

When the last ball was delivered, the much-vaunted Indian batting line-up had the toughest task of their lives staring them in the face. Australia, without so much as turning to half their batsmen, chalked up a mammoth 359/2.

Martyn, while not playing the breathtaking shots that Ponting essayed, scored at a fast clip while every now and then unveiling the kind of delicate artistry that would have classicists purring with delight. A back foot cover drive that sailed over the ropes showed a sense of timing that few in the world of cricket can match. With 88 off just 84 balls in a World Cup final, Martyn can be well pleased with his effort.

On the day however, Martyn was left in the shade by Ponting. Playing the innings of his life, the Australian captain notched up 140 (121 balls, 4 fours, 8 sixes). Really, there’s not much more a batsman can do. On the back of this innings, Australia reached a cricketing Mount Everest of 359/2 from their 50 overs.

India now attempt the climb, but will look more to the rain Gods than the batting Gods to save the day.

The Indian pace attack began nervously, and a confident Gilchrist put the attack to the sword. The hard-hitting opener played brutal shots all around the park, scattering fielders and sending bowlers running for cover.

Gilchrist telegraphed his intentions early on, crashing the first ball of the third over, delivered by Zaheer Khan, to the long-off fence. From that point on, there was no stopping Gilchrist. Srinath, in particular, was treated severely, being walloped for five fours and a six by Gilchrist before he was taken off the attack with initial figures of none for 33 from four overs.

At the other end, Hayden, meanwhile, was circumspect, getting his eye in and playing second fiddle to the rampaging Gilchrist. When the Australian 50 came up in just the seventh over, Hayden had just nine to his name.

While the batsmen certainly showed their class, taking control of the game, blame must lie at the doorsteps of the Indian seamers early on.

Pumped up, Zaheer Khan attempted to blast out the opening batsmen rather than beat them and in the process lost his way.

Srinath, for his part, brought his age and experience to the table, landing the ball in the right spots more often than not but was still taken on. The veteran medium-pacer managed to swing the ball into the left-handers on occasion, while his stock ball went away with the arm.

All this swing and seam mattered little to the Australians, especially Gilchrist who continued in his merry way.

So much so that Ganguly was forced to change things around, introducing off-spinner Harbhajan Singh into the attack in just the 10th over of the innings.

It was a ploy that paid dividends soon enough. Having slowed a touch after reaching his half-century off just 40 balls, Gilchrist attempted to heave Harbhajan over midwicket. With two fielders in the deep in that region, there was little margin for error. The extra bounce from Harbhajan, though, ensured that Gilchrist was beaten; the top edge swirling high towards midwicket where Sehwag held on to a well-judged catch.

India had their first breakthrough, with Gilchrist gone for 57 (48 balls, 8 fours, 1 six) in the 14th over. While he would be disappointed at being dismissed against the run of play, Gilchrist can take heart from the fact that he put Australia right on top with his contribution in a better-than-run-a-ball 105-run partnership for the first wicket.

The fall of Gilchrist’s wicket slowed things down considerably and not a single boundary was struck in the 5.5 over spell it took for the second Aussie wicket to fall.

Extracting big turn from the damp spots on the wicket, Harbhajan got a ball to turn square from outside the leg and Hayden (37, 54 balls, 5 fours) could only manage a faint edge to wicketkeeper Rahul Dravid. Australia were 125/2, one ball shy of the 20-over mark.

Damien Martyn returning to the side from injury struck one silky four over cover and was on 13 while Ponting, not at his fluent best, was on 24 at the half-way mark. Australia, with plenty of batsmen to come were well placed at 155/2.

But India, riding on Sachin Tendulkar’s broad shoulders, have demonstrated the ability raise their game to a level capable of beating any side – even the Australians.

The Wanderers in Johannesburg provides the turbo-charged setting for this encounter. Indian fans will be out in numbers, waving the tri-colour, yelling slogans and worshipping their heroes. The Australians too will have plenty of support, from their countrymen and a growing band of cricket aficionados who know great cricket when they see it.

Previews across the press have concentrated on the battles within the battles. The searing pace and bounce of Brett Lee versus Tendulkar. The dipping lines of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra versus Adam Gilchrist. The lesser Gods in this clash – Andrew Symonds, Yuvraj Singh, Andy Bichel… And who dare ignore the two openers Matthew Hayden and Virender Sehwag – struggling a bit for form but lethal on their day? And what about the veteran mediumpacers Glenn McGrath and Javagal Srinath?

Could this be the greatest World Cup final ever?

The ground staff at the Wanderers are certainly doing their bit to set things up. Staff have been busy manicuring the outfield all morning. Clipping grass, putting the markings out and making sure that all bases are covered. The wicket itself looks hard. Traditionally, there’s good bounce and carry, and batsmen will like the conditions. If anything, the wicket gets better and better as the day progresses.

A few customary clouds hung about the ground but a light breeze has blown them away. This cool day then seems to be an ideal setting for a game of cricket.

The Indian captain surprised a few people when he won the toss and elected to field. Ganguly suggests that India will look to use the assistance in conditions early on to make breakthroughs and put pressure on the Aussies. For his part Ricky Ponting says he would have preferred to bat. This sets the game up very nicely.

Australia have made one change to their team, with Damien Martyn returning the eleven after having recovered sufficiently from a finger injury.

Ganguly, a superstitious captain leading his side for the 100th time in one-dayers, has made no changes to his team.

Teams:

Australia team: +AC Gilchrist, ML Hayden, *RT Ponting, DS Lehmann, A Symonds, MG Bevan, GB Hogg, DR Martyn, AJ Bichel, B Lee, GD McGrath.

India team: V Sehwag, SR Tendulkar, *SC Ganguly, M Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, +R Dravid, D Mongia, J Srinath, A Nehra, Z Khan, Harbhajan Singh.

Umpires: Steve Bucknor, David Shepherd

Third Umpire: Rudi Koertzen

Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle