SYDNEY AP:

Michael Clarke's Australian line-up ended India's reign as World Cup champions with a 95-run victory that set up a showdown in the final with tournament co-host New Zealand.

Steve Smith scored 105 and shared a 182-run partnership with Aaron Finch (81) to help Australia post 328-7, a record for a World Cup semi-final, at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday.

India started their chase confidently, with openers Shikhar Dhawan (45) and Rohit Sharma (34) rushing the total to 76 in the 13th over, before Josh Hazlewood broke through to change the momentum of the innings.

Four-time champions Australia will go into Sunday's decider at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as favourites, despite their one-wicket loss to the unbeaten New Zealanders, in a low-scoring thriller at Auckland in the group stage. New Zealand beat South Africa with a ball to spare in the semi-finals to reach a World Cup final for the first time.

India had the majority of the support in the crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but were unable to capitalise at a venue where it has only once previously beaten Australia in a limited-overs international.

Smith went to the crease in the fourth over after Umesh Yadav dismissed David Warner (12), and he picked up where he left off in the pre-World Cup matches against India. He scored a century in each of the four matches in the test series and 47 in a one-dayer during a stretch of two months when India didn't win a match on Australian soil.

Glenn Maxwell belted 23 from 13 balls before he was out to Ravi Ashwin.

Yadav removed Finch in the next over and then Clarke (10) was out to Mohit Sharma, curtailing the strike rate before Johnson's late burst of 27 from

nine balls helped Australia become the first team to post a 300-plus total in a World Cup semi-final.