India set up final with Australia

Tendulkar (left) and Gambhir provided the platform for India's win

India are through to the final of the Commonwealth Bank Series after a seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka.

A 102-run partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and an unbeaten Gautam Gambhir secured the win in Hobart.

India were set 180 to win after Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar claimed four wickets each to dismiss Sri Lanka.

Tendulkar (63) and Gambhir (64) guided India home with more than 17 overs to spare, and they now face Australia in a best-of-three-matches finale.

After losing the wicket of opener Perera in the third over, Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara shared a 50-run partnership before Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 21 runs in just over 10 overs.

But after slumping to 93 for seven, Chamara Kapugedera's 57 helped Mahela Jayawardene's side at least give the bowlers a total to defend.

They began brightly by taking the wicket of Robin Uthappa in the second over.

He survived a dropped catch by Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene off the third ball of the innings from Chaminda Vaas, but departed seven balls later after being caught by Ishara Amerasinghe at mid-on off Lasith Malinga for 11.

Tendulkar and Gambhir brought up India's 50 off 60 balls before Tendulkar dominated a 50-run second-wicket partnership off 63 balls.

He was the first to bring up his half-century from 44 balls, which included nine fours, and after the pair brought up India's 100 in the 17th over and their 100 partnership in 108 balls, Gambhir brought up his 50 off 72 balls.

The partnership was finally broken as Tendulkar was caught at long-off by Chamara Silva off Muttiah Muralitharan at the start of the 21st over to leave India 120-2.

Yuvraj Singh contributed a quickfire 36 off 35 balls before being caught in the covers by Tillakaratne Dilshan off Dilruwan Perera in the 30th over with India at 171-3.

But Rohit Sharma (3no) and Gambhir rounded off the empathic victory. The first match of the final takes place in Sydney on Sunday.

Harbhajan cleared of racial abuse

Harbhajan Singh arrives for his ICC Code of Conduct appeal in Adelaide

Harbhajan Singh has been cleared at an appeal hearing of racially abusing Australia's Andrew Symonds.

The India spinner had been found guilty of calling Symonds, Australia's only mixed-race player, a "monkey" during the second Test in Sydney last month.

But at an appeal hearing on Tuesday Harbhajan had his three-match ban lifted and was instead fined half his match fee for offensive behaviour.

The charge was downgraded to general abuse, governing body the ICC said.

"The racial abuse charges have been dropped," added Niranjan Shah, board secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

"It is finished. The punishment is only for using obscene language."

The appeal commissioner of governing body the International Cricket Council, New Zealand high court judge John Hansen, is due to hand down his ruling in Adelaide later on Tuesday.

India have now lifted a threat to pull out of the rest of their tour of Australia.

The original punishment of Harbhajan by match referee Mike Procter came after Australia captain Ricky Ponting made an official complaint about his alleged comments.

On-field umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor levelled a charge under section 3.3 of the International Cricket Council code of conduct following Ponting's complaint.

At the time of the incident, Harbhajan was batting alongside Sachin Tendulkar, who backed his team-mate's claim that he had not called Symonds a "monkey".

Sachin Tendulkar was at the appeal

In the aftermath of Procter's decision, India suspended the tour and later warned they might abandon it if Harbhajan's appeal failed.

They also accused Australia spinner Brad Hogg of making an offensive remark to India skipper Anil Kumble and his deputy Mahendra Dhoni.

They have since withdrawn their threat to quit the tour and the charge against Hogg.

Following Australia's 2-1 victory in the Test series, the sides next face each other in a Twenty20 match in Melbourne before playing in a triangular one-day tournament which also involves Sri Lanka.

India's chief selector Dilp Vengsarkar told the BBC: "The tour is obviously on."