Australia v India, 4th Test, Adelaide, 2nd day: Clarke and Ponting double-tons keep Australia on top | Australia v India, 4th Test, Adelaide, 2nd day Report | Cricket News | ESPN Cricinfo
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Australia v India, 4th Test, Adelaide, 2nd day

Clarke and Ponting double-tons keep Australia on top

The Report by Brydon Coverdale

January 25, 2012

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India 2 for 61 (Gambhir 30*, Sehwag 18) trail Australia 7 for 604 dec (Ponting 221, Clarke 210) by 543 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Michael Clarke drives down the ground, Australia v India, 4th Test, Adelaide, 2nd day, January 25, 2012
Michael Clarke made 210 © Getty Images
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Michael Clarke entered this Test with a whitewash on his mind. After two days, he could hardly have hoped for Australia to be in a stronger position to push for it. A day that started with Clarke and Ricky Ponting both bringing up double-centuries and producing the highest Test partnership ever recorded at the Adelaide Oval ended with India two wickets down, and still 543 runs in arrears.

Of course, Australia lost three top-order men in the first session of the match and it didn't hurt them, but after nearly 11 hours of roasting in the field, India's batsmen must find some energy on the third day to match Australia. At stumps, Sachin Tendulkar was on 12 and Gautam Gambhir had reached 30, with India on 2 for 61, and on the best batting pitch of the tour India needed someone to bring up the team's first century of the series.

Already they had lost Virender Sehwag, who was brilliantly caught by Peter Siddle off his own bowling on 18. Flat-footed and stuck to the crease, Sehwag toe-edged a ball high to the right of Siddle, who thrust his hand up and pulled in one of the best catches of the summer, and nobody was happier than Ed Cowan, the man who dropped a regulation chance at midwicket when Sehwag had 5.

India were 2 for 31 when Rahul Dravid (1) was bowled for the sixth time in the series, the victim of a strange occurrence when a Ben Hilfenhaus delivery ricocheted off his elbow and down on to the stumps. The Australians hadn't found much swing in the hot Adelaide conditions, but the two breakthroughs gave them a strong start after the outstanding work of their own batsmen.

By pushing the total to 7 for 604 before Clarke declared the innings closed, Australia gave themselves a chance of a third innings victory in the series, something they haven't achieved in more than 60 years. India haven't lost three Tests in a series by an innings in more than 50 years. There's plenty of cricket to be played before such a scenario becomes a realistic possibility, but the groundwork had been laid.

The 386-run partnership between Ponting and Clarke was the fourth-highest of all time for Australia in Test cricket, and all three of the stands above them on the list featured Don Bradman. Clarke became the third player in Test history, after Bradman and Wally Hammond, to score a triple-hundred and a double-century in the same series.

For the sixth time in the series Australia batted through an entire session, this time the first of the day, without losing a wicket. The runs flowed freely as India wilted. Clarke and Ponting went to lunch already having compiled the highest partnership ever recorded in an Adelaide Test, beating the previous record of 341 set by South Africa's Eddie Barlow and Graeme Pollock in 1963-64. By then, Clarke had his double-ton and Ponting was within touching distance of his.

Clarke brought up his with a clip for two through midwicket off R Ashwin and celebrated another monstrous innings in the series: after his unbeaten 329 in Sydney, he finished this innings with 557 runs already in 2012. All through 2011, he managed 618. He didn't add to his score after lunch; on 210, Clarke was bowled by Umesh Yadav, who kept at the batsmen, despite leaking runs.

Ponting was on 199 when Clarke departed, and his sixth Test double-century came with a strong front-foot pull to the boundary off Yadav. For a while, it looked like Ponting would go on to register his highest Test score, which stood at 257, but eventually the pull brought him undone when he picked out the deep midwicket, Sachin Tendulkar, who took a well-judged catch jumping to his left.

Already India had removed Michael Hussey for 25 with a very sharp piece of work from Gambhir at silly point. Hussey pushed the ball and took off anticipating a single, but Gambhir was good enough to collect the ball cleanly and aware enough to flick it onto the stumps, catching Hussey short.

It was an example of how India needed to field; half-chances had to be grabbed. There weren't always. Ponting was put down on 215 when VVS Laxman at midwicket grassed a chance off the bowling of Ashwin and Ishant Sharma had missed the chance for a return catch when Ponting had 186, the ball struck back at a catchable pace but the bowler not alert enough to get his hands to it.

In the end, India picked up a few wickets, including one off a good carrom ball from Ashwin that kissed the edge of Peter Siddle's bat and was taken by Wriddhiman Saha - his first Test catch. By that stage, India had taken 3 for 13, but Brad Haddin (42 not out) and Ryan Harris (35 not out) refused to make life easy for India and batted through until the declaration came after tea.

For India, it was another dreadful day. The film critic Leonard Maltin's entire review of Police Academy 4 was: "More of the same, only worse". It could also have been said of India in the field, particularly in the morning. The bowling was too often insipid, and Sehwag's captaincy uninspiring and conservative.

At times, he did not appear to think taking a wicket was that important. Ashwin was given fields that encouraged him to bowl straight, and both Clarke and Ponting picked off the runs with ease. Ashwin finished with an unwanted record of his own, his 3 for 194 the most expensive bowling analysis ever recorded in an Adelaide Test, but he had his captain to thank - or blame - for much of that.

By stumps, it was all down to India's batsmen. The pitch had plenty of runs in it. India just needed their batsmen to find them.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here

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© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Comments: 188 
Posted by MisterObvious on (January 25 2012, 20:53 PM GMT)

A little over 3 hrs till game time & I'm thinking the Little Master is poised perfectly to get a double ton today. He'll have Gambhir to partner him then Lax, Saha, Kohli, Ashwin to provide solid support down the order. It's a perfect scenario! Flat pitch (hell, Harris drove with disdain for 35* & might've got a century of his own), motive (the hundredth 100 in front of a big, appreciative crowd + a free meal at Outback Chickenshack), plus statistical probability (you have to succeed eventually after so many failed tries) all point to it. But I also believed Steve Smith would be the second coming of Shane Warne. So I have been known to be wrong. Time will tell, as always. But that's obvious.

Posted by Prakshalan on (January 25 2012, 20:51 PM GMT)

Here is the new look for TeamIndia-2012 Staff: * Sachin Tendulkar : Team Coach * Rahul Dravid : Batting Coach * VVS Laxman : Commentator * Sehwag : Team Manager * Dhoni : Team psychiatrist Squad: 1. Gautham Ghambir (captain) 2. Virat Kohli (vice-captain) 3. Rohit sharma 4. Suresh Raina (All rounder) 5. Jadeja (All rounder) 6. Ajinkay Rahane 7. Manoj Tiwari 8. Vriddhaman Saha (wicket Keeper) 9. Parthiv patel (wicket keeper) 10. Ashwin (spinner) 11. Ojha (spinner) 12. Praveen Kumar (fast bowler) 13. Umesh Yadav (fast bowler) 14. Ishant sharma (fast bowler) 15. Zaheer Khan (fast bowler) Goooo India..!!!!!!!

Posted by hhillbumper on (January 25 2012, 20:50 PM GMT)

Has anyone seen Jonesey 2. Normally he would be on here going on about a great Aussie outfit.Shame all their decent players will be gone soon.As for that top 3 what class and skill they have,Make Phil Highes seem like a classical technician.

Posted by mark2011 on (January 25 2012, 20:49 PM GMT)

wow greate performance from AUS. why indian started criticising their team... oh great indian team...you people insulted SL team when they lost to SA,too much boasting india.. now what's happening... another great defeat for india is waiting...pls india get out quickly twice and take 0-4 GREATE DEFEAT... hi hi world champs...atleast now realised india not at all great team...

Posted by explorer76 on (January 25 2012, 20:48 PM GMT)

It is amazing how most of the comments from indian fan are already talking about the batsmen's failure even though the indian innings has just started and many of the batsmen have not even batted. Why are the fans unable to see that for last two days it has been their bowling which has been letting them down. Throughout the series the focus has been primarily on batting failure even though it seems to me that the bowling failures have been even more serious. It seems that indian fans pin all their hopes on the batting - as if its OK that the blowers have conceded more than 600 but the batsmen should be able to chase it anyway.

Posted by  Modasar Basir on (January 25 2012, 20:16 PM GMT)

This has been such a shameful series for indian team after england. 2nd Test Clarke 329*,Ponting 130+,Hussey 150*. 4th Test Clarke 210 and Ponting 221. Such a shameful performance by Indian bowlers and batsmen = useless team.

Posted by Nampally on (January 25 2012, 20:13 PM GMT)

I was one of the Indian fans who expected India to win the series 2-0. Like many I am shocked @ the team. When a team plays so irresponsibly ignoring all the fundamentals of batting & bowling as present one, there is no hope of winning. Captaincy has been poor, bowling off target & inconsistent, batting reckless & irresponsible. BCCI & the Selectors must take the brunt of blame for picking such an unbalanced squad. Corrective actions needed ASAP. Replace the present Selectors with Kumble, Gavaskar, Ganguly,Kapil. They can appoint a new Coach,Captain & select the squad. It is not easy to teach Old dogs new tricks. So choose a young squad & develop their mental & physical toughness first. Focus on producing results not excuses. India has at least 30 guys who are very capable Cricketers. Coaching Camps for bowlers & batsmen are the way to go.BCCI must spend at least 50% of its profits on Cricket. This should include preparing indoor pitches simulating the Aussie & English conditions.

Posted by bdsmaruf on (January 25 2012, 20:09 PM GMT)

you guys how say sachin plays for his personal record. i think u r jelous to him or u have other reason to say like this.

Posted by Raj12345 on (January 25 2012, 20:04 PM GMT)

We have lot of potential to be tried out. Pujara, Mukund, Rahane, Badri, Tiwary, Dinesh Karthik. We are almost lost 8 test matches now. If we lost all 8 test ,mathes with these new players, then it was satisfactory. Now if we change team and loose one more, there crazy fans waiting to change team and ask for dravid, sachin, VVS again.

Posted by xylo on (January 25 2012, 20:00 PM GMT)

At the beginning of this series, there were reports of Dravid suggesting Ponting that he dare not quit. How the irony has sank in!

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Brydon CoverdaleClose
Brydon Coverdale Assistant Editor Possibly the only person to win a headline-writing award for a title with the word "heifers" in it, Brydon decided agricultural journalism wasn't for him when he took up his position with ESPNcricinfo in Melbourne. His cricketing career peaked with an unbeaten 85 in the seconds for a small team in rural Victoria on a day when they could not scrounge up 11 players and Brydon, tragically, ran out of partners to help him reach his century. He is also a compulsive TV game-show contestant and has appeared on half a dozen shows in Australia.
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