Australia v India, 4th Test, Adelaide, 3rd day
Kohli eyes century but Australia still in command
January 26, 2012
Tea India 6 for 225 (Kohli 91*, Siddle 3-41) trail Australia 7 for 604 dec by 379 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Report : Clarke and Ponting double-tons keep Australia on top
Matches: Australia v India at Adelaide
Series/Tournaments: India tour of Australia
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Virat Kohli was within reach of becoming the first Indian centurion of the series at tea on the third day in Adelaide, but the Australians were still comfortably on top after Ryan Harris struck with the last ball before the break. It appeared that for the first time in the series India would bat through an entire session without losing a wicket as Kohli and Wriddhiman Saha showed some pluck, but Saha's judgment deserted him on 35.
The Australians had not long taken the new ball when Harris nipped one back off the seam and Saha shouldered arms only to see the ball crash into his off stump. It was a disappointing way for India to end a session in which Kohli and Saha showed their more experienced batting colleagues how it was done on a surface that generally offered little for the bowlers.
By tea, India were 6 for 225 and still needed another 180 runs to avoid the follow-on. Kohli was unbeaten on 91 and was about to be joined by R Ashwin, the last man India could reasonably expect to provide serious resistance, before the tail-end trio of Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. Ben Hilfenhaus was finding some outswing with the new ball and the end of the 114-run Kohli-Saha stand gave Australia hope of ending things after tea.
India added 103 during the second session as Kohli and Saha both turned the strike over, Kohli especially going for his shots. He brought up his second half-century of the series with a boundary through midwicket off Hilfenhaus, and he was willing to go after the spin of Nathan Lyon and Michael Clarke, including with a slog-sweep for six off Lyon.
His fight was important for India after their miserable pre-lunch session, in which they lost three wickets. By the time Australia lost their fifth wicket they had 520 on the board; India had 111. In the first session of the day they lost Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman as the pressure from Australia's bowlers and fielders built up.
Gambhir and Tendulkar survived the initial morning period and took their partnership to 47 before the introduction of Siddle ended the stand and gave Australia a major boost on the national holiday of both countries. He drew an edge from Tendulkar (25) and the ball flew low to second slip, where Ricky Ponting did well to get his fingers under the ball to take the catch.
Siddle proved himself Michael Clarke's go-to man when he also got rid of Gambhir for 34. Not for the first time in the series extra bounce troubled Gambhir, who fended a well-directed short ball that flew high into the off side and was snapped by Michael Hussey, who did well to run in from gully and take the catch diving forward.
It was a fine spell from Siddle, who entered the match with only one Test wicket for 241 runs at the Adelaide Oval. His strikes were followed by a wicket for Lyon, who turned the ball impressively and found an edge from VVS Laxman (18) when the batsman tried to run the ball fine. Brad Haddin completed the catch, and India's pain continued.
Kohli and Saha steadied, but the deficit was so large that it seemed only something miraculous would save India from putting the follow-on in Clarke's hands
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