Writing on the wall for India

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Nathan Lyon is congratulated on Sachin Tendulkar's wicket. He claimed two others to help reduce India to 166 for six at stumps

Australia were four tail-end wickets from a whitewash of India with a day to go at the Adelaide Oval.

The tourists, on 166 for six, required an improbable further 334 runs for a Test record total to win and to avoid a second straight 4-0 sweep away from home, having suffered the same fate against England last summer to lose top spot in the ICC rankings.

India’s stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag played a typically belligerent innings in the face of adversity but, on 62 from 53 balls, was one of three victims for off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Home captain Michael Clarke had set India 500 for victory, allowing his side to move from 50 for three overnight in their second innings to 167 for five declared thanks mainly to Ricky Ponting’s unbeaten 60.

Clarke and fellow first-innings double-centurion Ponting, who picked up on nine and one respectively, began steadily although the latter twice edged paceman Ishant Sharma between the slips and gully.

Ravichandran Ashwin shelled a ferocious return catch from Clarke, but the spinner was reprieved when seamer Umesh Yadav had Australia’s skipper caught behind for 37 in the next over - ending a stand of 71.

Ponting and Mike Hussey, who each took a four from Yadav’s next over, were otherwise in no hurry. Rahul Dravid dropped a difficult chance at midwicket to remove Ponting for 45 and he soon brought up his fifty with a single off Ishant.

After Ishant trapped Hussey in front for 15, Brad Haddin was into his stride with two fours from three Ashwin balls.

Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, deputising for the banned Mahendra Singh Dhoni, shelled a diving opportunity to dismiss Ponting the over before Clarke declared.

Sehwag picked up early boundaries, including three from one Peter Siddle over, but lost Gautam Gambhir, who was caught behind off Ryan Harris.

The opener collected two back-to-back fours off Lyon, who gained revenge by locating the right-hander’s leading edge.

Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar dug in, but the former drove Harris to gully on 25 and the latter was a bat-pad victim for Lyon at short-leg.

VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli, who struck his maiden Test ton in the first innings, looked set to bat until stumps but both fell short.

Laxman whipped Lyon to short midwicket on 35 and next over, the day’s penultimate, Kohli was run out for 22 by Ben Hilfenhaus’ throw as he attempted to keep the strike.