Aussies clinch Indian whitewash 4-0

It took less than an hour for Australia to wrap up proceedings on the final day of their fourth Test against India in Adelaide, securing a 298-run win and with it a 4-0 series whitewash.

Aussies crushed India to register a comprehensive 298-run
win to complete a series whitewash at the Adelaide Oval.

Before the Sydney Test, Glenn McGrath gave his typical prediction that Australia would win the series 4-0. Few people truly expected it to happen. But such has been the gulf between the two sides that four weeks later, Australia wrapped up a whitewash within 59 minutes on the last day at Adelaide Oval, the only Test in the series that India managed to take to a fifth day.

Australia's 298-run victory was finalised when Nathan Lyon found the edge of Umesh Yadav's bat and Brad Haddin gloved the ball cleanly, which led to celebrations from the Australians. Not wild celebrations, though. The restrained type of self-congratulation that follows a long period of work, with the knowledge that even more toil remains ahead.

That the 4-0 series win was not enough to lift Australia out of fourth position on the ICC rankings is an indication of how far the side had fallen, and how much work remains for Michael Clarke and his men. But they are the on the way up. Their next Test tour is to the West Indies in April, and there they can move up the rankings list, closer to their goal of regaining the No.1 spot.

For India, this was the culmination of a miserable year away from home. They remain in third spot on the rankings, but only just. They began the day at 6 for 166, with no hope of chasing the target of 500 or batting all day to play out the draw. The first wicket came when Ishant Sharma edged behind off Ryan Harris for 2, and that was closely followed by Wriddhiman Saha (3) also edging behind off Peter Siddle.

R Ashwin and Zaheer Khan stole a few boundaries but it was only ever a question of which bowlers would get the wickets. Zaheer skied a catch off Ben Hilfenhaus for 15 and the final wicket came when Yadav edged behind with the total on 201. That gave Lyon 4 for 63, an encouraging end to a series in which he was the least effective of Australia's four main bowlers, against batsmen adept at handling spin.

Harris ended up with 3 for 41 but it was appropriate that all four frontline bowlers, including Man of the Match Siddle, picked up at least one wicket. It has been their constant pressure throughout the summer that has kept India's powerful batting line-up in check. Significantly, it was not until the final Test of the series that India found a centurion, and then it was the newest member of the top six, Virat Kohli.

VVS Laxman averaged 19.37 for the series, Virender Sehwag averaged 24.75, Rahul Dravid 24.25, Gautam Gambhir 22.62, MS Dhoni 20.40 and Sachin Tendulkar 35.87. None of them scored as many runs as Kohli, whose 300 came at 37.50, and such results should encourage the selectors to give more opportunities to fresh batsmen.

The Indian bowlers were also below-par. Zaheer finished with 15 wickets at 31.80, a decent result and an indication that he keeps working hard even in trying circumstances, and Yadav showed promise with his 14 wickets at 39.35. But Ishant's five wickets at 90.20, Ashwin's nine victims at 62.77, and the folly of picking Vinay Kumar at the WACA all stood out as disappointments.

Hilfenhaus and Siddle headed the Australian attack throughout the series, and they were wonderful. Clarke and Ricky Ponting were outstanding with the bat. It was a complete display from an Australian unit that heading in the right direction. And a squad that can always look back on this 4-0 result with pride.

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Clarke and Ponting double-tons keep Australia on top

Aus vs India, 4th Test, Adelaide, 2nd day:- India 61/2 (Gambhir 30*, Sehwag 18) trail Australia 7 for 604 dec (Ponting 221, Clarke 210) by 543 runs

Numbers Shows

Michael Clarke was once again India's nemesis as he smashed a superb double century 210 from 275 balls  on day two of the fourth Test at the Adelaide Oval.



Ricky Ponting also got into the act on a lifeless pitch as he scored 221 from 404 deliveries before India's bowlers finally had something to celebrate.

A late flurry of wickets helped check the Australian charge - with the hosts finally declaring on 604-7.

And India were left well and truly on the ropes at the close as they were reduced to 61-2.

Clarke and Ponting showed tremendous intent from the outset and created further history with their partnership of 386 the highest for any wicket in all Tests at Adelaide, surpassing the previous best of 341 held by South African duo Eddie Barlow and Graeme Pollock against Bob Simpson's Australians in 1963-64.

It is also the highest partnership in all Australia-India Tests, going past the epic 376-run stand between VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid at Eden Gardens in 2001.

Clarke moved to 150 in only the third over of the morning before reaching 200 from just 255 deliveries when he turned off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin through mid-wicket for two.

It was Clarke's second double century in his past three Tests, the 30-year-old, whose career average has now tipped just over the 50-mark, in the form of his life and clearly relishing being in charge of his country.

Edged                                                                                                                   

Ponting notched the 15th 150 of his career from 274 balls with an exquisite straight drive for four off Ishant Sharma.

Having had Australia on the ropes at 84-3 just before lunch on day one, India went three sessions without taking a wicket.

However they finally struck three balls into afternoon session when Clarke was bowled by Umesh Yadav.

Michael Hussey (25) came in and shared a 50-run stand before his run out - following a great piece of field at silly point by Gautam Gambhir - sparked a mini-collapse.

Ponting was heading back 13 balls later after pulling Zaheer Khan straight to Sachin Tendulkar at deep midwicket, while Peter Siddle managed to add just two to the score before he edged Ashwin behind to Wriddhiman Saha.

Brad Haddin (42no) and Ryan Harris (35no) put on 71 for the eighth wicket, though, before the declaration came.

India attempted to set about the mammoth score - and they were gifted an early lifeline when Ed Cowan dropped Virender Sehwag off Ben Hilfenhaus in just the second over.

It was a brief reprieve, though, as Siddle held on to a one-handed caught and bowled chance to remove the acting India skipper for 18.

Rahul Dravid quickly followed for just one as he was clean bowled by Hilfenhaus.

Gambhir (30*) and Tendulkar (12*), though, put on an unbroken stand of 30 to see India through to the close.
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India suffer another humiliation as classy Aussies win match And Series 3-0

Australia win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with 1 Test remaining! A comprehensive effort again by the home side and they have managed to beat the Indian team within 2 and a half days. India's overseas woes continue as their slump to their seventh straight loss. The Kangaroos might well go for the whitewash now in Adelaide



Warner's century dominated in Perth

Australia have humbled India by an
innings and 37 runs in the third Test
in Perth to clinch the four-Test series.
The hosts lead 3-0.

It all happened in a flash!

Over 63.2: Kohli c Haddin b Siddle (75) It's all over! Kohli, who just a while ago looked set to get a hundred, nicked one to Haddin behind the stumps.

Over 62.5: Ishant c Cowan b Hilfenhaus (0) Bouncer at Sharma's body who looks to flick it off the hips. Instead, he mistimes and the ball lobs up to Cowan at short leg for a lolly.

Over 62.2: Zaheer c Clarke b Hilfenhaus (0) Hilfenhaus hurls in a snorter first up to Zaheer at head height who tries to fend at it. Gets the outside edge which flies between Haddin and Clarke. Here is the moment of magic. Haddin had dived full length to pounce at that blocking Clarke's view and he misses it. But Clarke, alert enough to judge the direction of the ball plucks a wonderful catch.

Ben Hilfenhaus picked up eight wickets in the match

Over 62.1: Kumar c Clarke b Hilfenhaus (6) Good length delivery seaming away after landing. Vinay tries to glance it but gets a thick outside edge which flies to Michael Clarke at first slip who pounces a easy catch in front of his head.

Ryan Harris split a stubborn stand between Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid before Peter Siddle nicked out MS Dhoni, as Australia closed on a series victory over India at lunch. The visitors were 6 for 165 at the interval, still 43 runs short of making Australia bat again

Australia's fast bowlers completed an innings-and-37-run destruction of India minutes after lunch on day three of the third Test, snatching the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in the most emphatic style imaginable. Ryan Harris split a stubborn stand between Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid before Peter Siddle nicked out MS Dhoni in the shadows of the interval, and Ben Hilfenhaus razed the tail with three wickets in five balls on resumption.

Siddle found Kohli's outside edge to complete proceedings, heralding the start of rich celebrations for the hosts following victory over opponents who never came to terms with the challenges posed by Australia's bowlers and conditions. The performance of the match was by a home batsman however, and it was a measure of the Man-of-the-Match David Warner's 180 that India's batsmen fell short of his individual tally in each innings.

His efforts gave the pace ensemble a chance to squeeze India, and all the bowlers contributed in another strikingly even performance. Harris will bowl far worse and claim five wickets rather than the one he plucked in the second innings, while Siddle and Hilfenhaus maintained their outstanding marriage of pressure and late movement. Mitchell Starc, of course, had made two critical breaks on the second evening.


Australia after winning the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Dravid and Kohli provided the staunchest Indian batting resistance of the match in a union of 84, but were never completely in control against Harris, who deservedly found a way past Dravid towards the end of an exacting spell. Siddle's dismissal of Dhoni was a familiar sight, the captain's edge snapped up by Ricky Ponting in the cordon.

Kohli's innings was a beacon of hope for India's future, demonstrating strong technique and a stronger mind to cope with Australia's bowling that did not flag in considerable heat. Following up a similarly composed 44 in the first innings, it may warrant a promotion in the batting order for Adelaide.

Resuming at 4 for 88, still 120 short of going into credit, Dravid and Kohli had plenty of testing moments in the opening overs. Harris' first two deliveries of the day did everything but bowl Dravid, angling in and seaming away, while at the other end Hilfenhaus swung the ball tantalisingly away with the help of a south-westerly breeze.

Kohli was the more assured of the batting duo, collecting his runs quietly with ones and twos, reining in his most aggressive tendencies in a struggle for survival against bowling that offered precious little latitude.

Ryan Harris celebrates dismissing Rahul Dravid

Harris, in particular, posed question after question, taking advantage of a crack on a length at the Lillee-Marsh Stand end to bring the ball sharply back into Kohli and Dravid. Dravid was late to react to some subtle inswing, the ball swerving between bat and pad to send leg stump cartwheeling. Dravid shuffled off, bowled five times in six innings during the series.

Dhoni's technique has been found similarly wanting, and once again he would edge tamely into the cordon. Siddle's delivery was full, fast and swinging, and Ponting's hands at second slipwere alert and safe. Nevertheless, the dismissal was another grim reflection on the batting of Dhoni, who has always struggled to replicate his subcontinental run-scoring on foreign shores.

Lunch came and went, Kohli still harbouring the desire to reach a century. But Hilfenhaus was not in a mood to countenance charity. Bashing the ball in short of a length, he had Vinay Kumar and Zaheer Khan fencing to Michael Clarke at slip in consecutive balls, and while Ishant Sharma survived the hat-trick delivery, he fended his third straight to Ed Cowan at short leg.

Umesh Yadav survived one ball to give Kohli the strike, but Siddle probed the perfect line and length once more to coax a touch behind and seal a series that has been more lopsided than anyone can have imagined.

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