India Beat Australia by Six Wickets to Seal Series in Pulsating Style

India's cricketers have beaten Australia by six wickets in Mohali to secure an unassailable 3-0 lead in the four-match test series between the teams.

The hosts had to chase down 133 runs in just 34 overs for victory in the dying embers of the match, but some inventive strokeplay from Murali Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni laid the platform for victory.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who took six wickets in the match with his left-arm spin, applied the finish touch by hitting two fours in quick succession to take India over the line.

Shikhar Dhawan, who scored the fastest debut hundred of all time in India's first innings, was unable to bat in the second after sustaining a hand injury while fielding on the fourth day.

The result deepens the sense of crisis surrounding Australia, who were without the four players dropped for a breach of team discipline last week.

Although the visiting batsman performed well in the first innings, scoring 408, they subsided to 223 second time round, giving India the chance to complete a pulsating victory in the final session of the game.

Peter Siddle was Australia's stand-out performer with the ball, taking five wickets in the first innings. But the lack of potency among the visitors' spinners was evident throughout; Nathan Lyon, Xavier Dohery and Steve Smith bowled 77 overs in the match between them, but claimed just four wickets.

Although it appears unlikely that Dhawan, India's new hero, will be fit to play in the final test, India will still be confident of completing a whitewash of the beleaguered Australians, who have endured a disastrous tour so far.

After being forced to follow on in their first match of the tour, against India A, Australia have been soundly beaten in each of the three test matches, their poor performance compounded by the internal tensions which culminated in coach Micky Arthur dropping Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, James Pattinson and Mitchell Johnson.

Watson, the team's vice-captain, said he was contemplating his future, but he is now flying back to resume the tour.