Adelaide: The old firm of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke put India’s hapless bowlers to the sword with contrasting centuries as Australia took command of the fourth and final cricket Test on the opening day itself here on Tuesday.
Ponting (137) and Clarke (140), both of whom tormented India in the second Test in Sydney with centuries, joined hands once again for an unbroken 251-run fourth wicket stand which took the hosts to a comfortable 335 for three after a shaky start.
Australia have already clinched the series with a 3-0 lead and India are desperately hoping to avoid a whitewash. The effort was not all that bad to start with as India struck two blows inside the first 10 overs after the hosts opted to bat first.
Zaheer Khan removed David Warner (8) with a delivery which came in and Ravichandran Ashwin, surprisingly introduced as early as in the fourth over, bowled a delivery which came in with the arm and clipped the off-stump of an out of form Shaun Marsh’s (3) hesitant forward prod.
Ashwin snared another victim before the lunch-break, opener Ed Cowan (30) driving little uppishly into short covers and VVS Laxman snapped a brilliant low catch.
After that, it was former captain Ponting and current skipper Clarke for the rest of the day.
Ponting smashed the 41st century of his 162-Test career, his eighth against India which put him at par with Sir Garfield Sobers and Sir Vivian Richards as the batsmen who has scored maximum tons against the sub-continental team.
It is also his 23rd century at home which is one more than what Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis have scored in their glittering careers. During his knock, he also crossed the 13,000 run landmark. (PTI)
SCOREBOARD
Australia 1st Innings:
Cowan c Laxman b Ashwin 30
Warner lbw b Zaheer Khan 8
Marsh b Ashwin 3
Ponting batting 137
Clarke batting 140
Total (3 wkts in 90 overs) 335
Bowling: Zaheer 18-2-52-1, Yadav 12-0-87-0, Ashwin 26-4-81-2, Ishant 20-5-52-0, Sehwag 13-0-49-0, Kohli 1-0-3-0.