CRICKET WORLD

Harbhajan Singh starred with both bat and ball as the Mumbai Indians coasted to a 41-run victory over the Deccan Chargers, their fifth in six matches in the Indian Premier League.

Tendulkar had weighed in with a steady 55, but the Indians were floundering when Harbhajan rescued them with an unbeaten 49 off only 18 deliveries at the death, lifting his team to a challenging 172 for seven.

Rohit Sharma had given the Chargers a glimmer of hope with a fighting 45, but Harbhajan, Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga shared three wickets apiece as the Chargers were bowled out for 131 in 17.4 overs.

The Chargers had opted to play in their "home" match at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, and fast bowler Kemar Roach, playing his first game for the Deccan outfit, had left Shikhar Dhawan ripe for the picking with a steady show with the new ball.

Tendulkar, off the blocks with consecutive boundaries, had dominated a slow opening stand worth 24, but the pace was raised considerably once Dwayne Bravo - promoted to three - walked out to the crease.

Bravo was off the mark with a single, but he hammered Pragyan Ojha for a six and a four, clobbering two more boundaries in his brief stint.

RP Singh removed Bravo for 23 in the eighth over, a breakthrough which opened the floodgates and left the Indians struggling.

From 64 for one, the Indians crashed to 93 for six at the start of the 14th over, Kieron Pollard among those comprising the procession back to the pavilion and Tendulkar's dismissal in the 17th - RP Singh's third victim - left the Indians staring at a meagre total.

But Harbhajan effected a remarkable turnaround with a thrilling innings and the Indians regained control.

Harbhajan began with two lofted strokes that yielded only singles, blasted Andrew Symonds for a six and a four and followed that up with three boundaries and a six off Roach in the next over as the Indians plundered 52 runs from the last three overs.

Harbhajan was then handed the new ball and he immediately handed the Chargers a massive blow by prising out Adam Gilchrist off the second delivery.

Zaheer landed a further blow by snaring Herschelle Gibbs for 27 and Malinga left the Chargers reeling with two strikes in his first over.

Rohit had kept the fire burning with a composed innings even as the Chargers steadily lost wickets, but he was bowled by Zaheer in the 17th over, five short of a half-century as the Chargers hopes were snuffed out.