India Reach Final Hurdle

India reached Sunday's World Cup final against Australia with a one-sided 91-run victory over Kenya.

Having posted a formidable 270 for four with captain Sourav Ganguly hitting an unbeaten 111, Kenya were never capable of remaining competitive and slumped to 179 all out.

Kenya, the first non-Test playing nation to reach the last four of the World Cup, had not previously scored more than 225 in the tournament and their hopes of eclipsing that tally were undermined from an early stage when they lost four wickets inside the first 15 overs.

Once again, Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan did the damage with four wickets falling inside six overs and although captain Steve Tikolo contributed a determined 56, Kenya were always short of the pace.

Captain Ganguly had earlier provided the impetus for India, hitting a five sixes and five other boundaries during his 114-ball innings, after India had struggled to make early progress on a slow pitch with a damp outfield.

He arrived at the crease in vastly different circumstances to his previous innings against Kenya when he hit a majestic unbeaten 107 after his side had slipped to 24 for three in Cape Town during their Super Sixes encounter.

This time he was called upon following a 74-run opening stand which was only ended when Virender Sehwag, who has scored only one previous half-century in the tournament, once again failed to build a big innings after a solid start.

The opener had progressed to 33 from 56 deliveries, which included three boundaries, when he became frustrated at his inability to score quicker and attempted to hit seamer Peter Ondongo over the top and instead got a top edge to Maurice Odumbe at cover.

That brought Ganguly to the crease and he immediately set about Kenya's limited attack, hitting a straight six off Steve Tikolo's off-spin before pulling leg spinner Collins Obuya for another six.

Ganguly's aggressive intent had followed Tendulkar's progression to his seventh half-century in 10 innings during the tournament having already claimed an aggregate of 586 runs - a record for any World Cup.

India added 103 off only 120 balls before Tendulkar fell pulling Tikolo straight to David Obuya at the mid-wicket boundary, who took the catch above his head to prevent a six.

Thereafter, however, Ganguly took command of a useful 46-run stand in only eight overs with Mohammed Kaif.

He fell risking a quick single to Collins Obuya's direct throw but Ganguly progressed to his 22nd one-day international century and eclipsed Herschelle Gibbs' aggregate of 384 to become the tournament's second highest run-scorer behind Tendulkar with 441 runs.