India Vs Aus: Aussies extended their lead to 486 on Day 4

Adelaide, Jan 27: A fluent half century by Ricky Ponting as well as the positive approach of skipper Michael Clarke saw Australia lengthened their overall lead to 486 at lunch on the fourth day of their final cricket Test against India.

Ponting was again at the forefront of this torture to the Indians, batting on 57 as the hosts took the break at 154 for five.

The hosts lost two wickets in the morning session with Clarke (37) and Michael Hussey (15) falling to Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma respectively.

Resuming at 50 for 3, Australians kept scoreboard ticking over with singles and twos before overnight batsman Michael Clarke fell for 37, adjudged caught behind off Yadav’s bowling.

Clarke, just before his dismissal, had changed gears and came down the track to twice lift off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for boundaries on either side of the wicket.

India didn’t begin with Ashwin at the start of the day’s play and instead started with pace from both ends in Zaheer Khan and Sharma.

After first six overs of the day yielded nothing, Ashwin was brought back into attack but Australia had already added 26 runs to the overnight total and both the double centurions of the first innings, Ponting and Clarke, looked well settled.

Half an hour before lunch, Ponting guided Ashwin behind on the onside for a single to raise his half century. This is his third half century of the series, besides a double hundred and a century he made from this productive series.

PTI