BANGALORE: The champion batsman, Sachin Tendulkar who needed 64 runs to break Lara's record Test aggregate of 11,953, fell short by just 15 runs much to the disappointment of the crowd who cheered every stroke he played.
India overcame some anxious moments early in the innings but their famed batsmen survived long enough on a tricky fifth day track to ensure that the first cricket Test against Australia ended in a draw here.
Set an improbable victory target of 299, the Indians were in doldrums at 24 for two at one stage but recovered to reach 177 for four before play was called off with 10 overs still remaining to be bowled.
The last session turned out to be a little farcical as bad light forced two interruptions which robbed the visitors of valuable time to push for victory. Sachin Tendulkar (49) played a big part to keep the opposition at bay on a dual-paced Chinnaswamy track which made batting difficult but not impossible.
Tendulkar, who seemed to be in good touch, held the innings together with his gritty knock after the early loss of Virender Sehwag (6) and Rahul Dravid (5) but a momentary loss of concentration meant that he would have to wait for another day to break Brian Lara's record of the highest Test aggregate.
Laxman was at the crease on 42 and Ganguly was on 26 when the curtains came down on the match which saw fortune fluctuating from one team to the other till the very end.
The Australians, resuming at the overnight score of 193 for five, added a few quick runs before declaring the second innings at 228 for six, setting India a daunting target of 299 for victory. But with the flamboyant Sehwag perishing early, the hosts never really went for the target and were quite content in playing out the overs.
There was a brief moment before the tea break when Tendulkar and Laxman unleashed a few attacking shots but the belligerence did not last long with debutant Cameron White scalping the well-set Tendulkar.
It gave White his first Test wicket and the bowler was so overwhelmed that he broke into tears with teammates celebrating the prized wicket. Dangerman Virender Sehwag (6) and first innings half centurion Rahul Dravid (5) fell cheaply in India's run chase and it seemed at that time that the hosts may struggle to save the match.
Sehwag was the first to go immediately after getting a reprieve from Brad Haddin off Brett Lee in the fifth over of the Indian innings when a diving Aussie wicketkeeper could not hold on to a thick edge. Stuart Clark's very first ball in the next over got the breakthrough for the Aussies as Matthew Hayden took a low catch at first slip when Sehwag tried to steer the ball away.
Dravid followed three overs later as Ponting, at short midwicket, took a spectacular catch by throwing himself in the air to his right as the Bangalore batsman tried to flick the ball.
Tendulkar, who came in after Dravid's fall, batted beautifully, hitting three well-timed boundaries and Gambhir was batting sensibly at the other end to ensure there was no more damage for the hosts till the lunch break.
The only success for the visitors in the second session came in the form of Gautam Gambhir, whose unusual slow innings ended when Mitchell Johnson bowled him. The left-arm pace-man deceived the Delhi batsman with a slow ball, which rattled his woodwork.
However by that time, Gambhir had done a good job as he stood his ground and denied the Australians the opportunity to go for the kill. Gambhir consumed 81 ball for his sedate 29-run knock and hit four boundaries.
Laxman joined Tendulkar and the experienced duo chose the loose deliveries to score runs and comfortably negotiated the visitors' pace-spin attack.
The only chance that came their way was when Tendulkar, on 31 at that time, played a drive off Cameron White and just managed an edge which flew over the head of first slip Mathhew Hayden.
Indian skipper Anil Kumble minced no words in saying that his team could have chased 299 runs and won the first Test here if openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir had given India a rousing start.
On his own wicket-less show on home ground here, Kumble said, "I think just one failure should not be held against a player. As a captain I have played my part. But I could not take wickets. It is not possible for a bowler to take wickets in every Test as everybody has an off day.
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