Aussies post massive 350 against India

Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh powered Australia to a total of 4-350 in the fifth limited overs match against India at Hyderabad.

Watson (93 off 89 balls with nine fours and three sixes) and Marsh (112, 112 balls, eight fours, two sixes) enjoyed an opening stand of 145, dominated by Watson, before Marsh grew in confidence and fluency.

Captain Ricky Ponting (45), heavy-hitter Cameron White (57, 33 balls) and Mike Hussey (31no, 22 balls) also contributed.

Cast in the role of late innings bully, White smote five sixes of his own to take the tourists well past 300 and give them real hope of claiming a 3-2 series lead.

Marsh's maiden international century mirrored that of his father Geoffrey, who also notched three figures for the first time against India, at Sydney in 1986. They are the only father/son century-makers in ODI cricket

Australia's 11 sixes were the most struck by any team against India.

India's bowlers wilted under this assault, though Harbhajan Singh (1-44) bowled intelligently to restrict the scoring whenever he came on.

While the total is a tall one, the most benign of batting surfaces should afford India a fighting chance.

After taking a few overs to judge the surface, Watson had accelerated brilliantly to lift the tourists from a sedate 0-35 after eight overs to a freewheeling 0-97 at 15.

Ashish Nehra was the first to feel the full force of his strikepower, watching a shortish delivery sail over midwicket from a front-foot pull shot.

Next over the recalled Munaf Patel (0-73) was stunned to watch a perfectly good-length ball fly back over his head and into the sightscreen on the full.

Losing a little momentum towards the end of his knock, Watson tried for one more six to go from 93 to 99, but misjudged Harbhajan's bounce and top edged to deep midwicket.

His departure brought Ponting to the wicket, and he was soon building momentum with deft deflections and the odd full-blooded drive.

Marsh played with great control and skill, pacing his innings expertly to detonate when he and Ponting took the batting Power Play in the 36th over.

The Australians rested a flagging Mitchell Johnson, who has been carrying an ankle problem through the tour, meaning a total of three changes from the XI who won by 24 runs at Mohali.

Victorian paceman and lower order batsman Clint McKay was chosen for his debut while Ben Hilfenhaus and Adam Voges were recalled in place of Peter Siddle and Moises Henriques.

India dropped Ishant Sharma after his poor display (0-42 from five overs) at Mohali, replacing him with fellow right-arm quick Munaf.

No.3 batsman Gautam Gambhir also returned in place of Virat Kohli.