A brilliant century from India's Yuvraj Singh was not enough to prevent Australia from winning the third one-day international in Hyderabad on Friday.
Yuvraj, one of the stars of India's win at the recent World Twenty20 in South Africa, smashed 121 from 115 balls but it proved to be in vain as world champions Australia moved 2-0 ahead in the seven-match series with a 47-run triumph.
The Aussies made 290 from their 50 overs - Andrew Symonds top-scoring with a rapid 89 - and then dismissed the hosts for 243.
India's reply got off to a woeful start and, at 13 for three, it looked as though they were heading for a heavy defeat.
Opener Gautam Gambhir made just six while Robin Uthappa and former captain Rahul Dravid both departed for ducks.
But Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj stabilised the innings and paved the way for the latter to up the tempo.
Tendulkar eventually departed for 43, bowled by spinner Brad Hogg, but Yuvraj continued his onslaught alongside new skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Dhoni's wicket effectively ended the contest, however, the wicketkeeper edging a Brett Lee delivery to his Australia counterpart Adam Gilchrist having made 33.
Harbhajan Singh was the only member of the tail to show any resistance, making an unbeaten 19, while Mitchell Johnson eventually accounted for Yuvraj with a ball which nipped between the batsman's bat and pads.
Lee was the pick of the Australian bowlers, taking three for 37 from his eight overs, with Hogg taking three for 46.
Earlier, Symonds was the star turn in the Aussie innings.
Matthew Hayden made a half-century at the top of the order but it was the fourth-wicket partnership of 123 between Symonds and Michael Clarke which gave the innings real impetus.
Hayden and opening partner Gilchrist put on 76 before the latter was bowled by Irfan Pathan.
Hayden made a 70-ball 60 but after falling and being joined back in the pavilion by skipper Ricky Ponting - back in the side after injury - with the score on 135 for three, the game was in the balance.
But Symonds and Clarke took the attack to the Indians with their century partnership coming up off just 93 balls.
Clarke departed in the 45th over, chipping a straight drive to Pathan off the bowling of Zaheer Khan for 59, but Symonds remained, continuing his onslaught until the penultimate ball of the innings when he holed out to Uthappa on the boundary off Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.
His 89 came off just 67 balls and contained five fours and five sixes.
Ponting was pleased with his side's display. Afterwards, he said: "Things have worked out pretty well for us - 290 on that wicket was a good score, it was slow and low. And then we did what we had to in the field.
"I thought the opening batsmen were great, they were aggressive and laid the platform for the rest of us to go out swinging."
Man of the match Symonds echoed Ponting's praise for openers Hayden and Gilchrist, adding: "I was lucky that we had set a platform when I came in and had plenty of overs left.
"We thought anywhere around 290-300 would be a competitive score."
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