ADELAIDE, (Reuters) – Ricky Ponting and Michael
Clarke both hit centuries and combined for 251 runs to drive
Australia to 335 for three as India wilted in the Adelaide sun
on the opening day of the fourth test today.
A rejuvenated Ponting became just the third cricketer to
score 13,000 test runs as he reached 137 not out, while Clarke,
his successor as Australia captain, notched up his fourth
century in eight tests with an unbeaten 140.
India’s hopes of salvaging a modicum of pride after losing
the series with emphatic defeats in the first three tests looked
bright when they removed Australia’s top order before lunch but
melted in 37 degree Celsius heat in the afternoon.
Ponting’s 41st test century was far more fluent than the
40th, which he scored to end a two-year drought in the second
test in Sydney earlier this month.
The 37-year-old, who scored his 13,000th test run with a
swept single to deep square leg, brought up the hundred in 164
balls with his 11th four and doffed his helmet to accept a
standing ovation from the crowd.
“I felt I played better today than I did in Sydney, it was
probably a better wicket to bat on today, there wasn’t much in
it for any of the Indian bowlers,” Ponting told reporters.
“It’s been a really good day for us and we have to make sure
we win the first hour tomorrow and make sure this first innings
is a big one.”
Clarke, who won the toss and elected to bat on a good
batting track, shared a record partnership of 288 with Ponting
in Sydney when he hit a brilliant 329 not out.
After the pair had again rescued Australia’s innings from
84-3 to stand at 214 at tea, Clarke made a statement two balls
into the final session by marching down the pitch to smash a
huge six off part-time spinner Virender Sehwag.
The 30-year-old reached the century, his 19th in tests, with
a less emphatic stroke and the ball trickled to the boundary at
fourth man for his 14th four.
EARLY WICKETS
Sehwag had made a promising start as stand-in skipper for
the banned Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the morning, keeping the
Australians on the back foot and bucking convention by
introducing recalled spinner Ravi Ashwin in the fourth over.
It was the pace bowling of Zaheer Khan at the other end,
however, that forced the breakthrough when his inswinger trapped
lefthander David Warner leg before for eight with just 26 runs
showing on the picturesque ground’s famous old scoreboard.
Shaun Marsh had made 14 in four innings in the series and
his poor form continued when he misjudged the flight of an
Ashwin delivery which went between bat and pad, took the bails
off and sent him scurrying back to the pavilion for three.
Ashwin struck again 10 minutes before lunch to remove Ed
Cowan for 30, tempting the opener into a miscued cover drive
that VVS Laxman intercepted with a fine low catch at short cover
to leave Australia struggling.
India took the new ball five overs before the end of the day
and Ishant Sharma almost removed Clarke but Laxman was this time
unable to hold a difficult catch.
“I think it was really good batting by Ricky Ponting and
Michael Clarke, they really took the game away from us in the
second session,” Ashwin told reporters.
“They are a few seniors in the team who have already told us
about how the first innings pans out at Adelaide Oval and how
good it is for batting for the first three-four days of the game
and then it really changes in the second innings.
“So we are really confident about it and we have to turn up
tomorrow and try to take a few early wickets.”
Dhoni was banned for one match by the International Cricket
Council (ICC) after India failed to keep to an acceptable over
rate in the third test.
