Adelaide Test: Australia in driver's seat as India loses Sehwag and Dravid

Adelaide, Jan.25 (ANI): A jaded India was fighting with its back to the wall at the close of the second day's play of the fourth and final Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

Replying to Australia's mammoth total of 604 for seven declared, India lost the wickets of opener Virender Sehwag (caught and bowled Peter Siddle) and Rahul Dravid (bowled by Ben Hilfenhaus) before reaching 61 for the loss of two wickets. Sehwag scored 18, while Dravid scored one.

At the close of play, opner Gautam Gambhir was playing on 30 and giving him company was Sachin Tendulkar on 12.

Earlier in the day, skipper Michael Clarke carried on from where he had left off on 140 to score his first double hundred of the series (210) before Umesh Yadav bowled him. Former skipper Ricky Ponting also joined the run riot by scoring his sixth double hundred in Tests (235).

Both Clarke and Ponting produced the highest Test partnership ever recorded at the Adelaide Oval (386).

India is still 543 runs in arrears and staring virtually down the barrel of a possible series whitewash.

Australia has given themselves a chance of a third innings victory in the series, something they haven't achieved in more than 60 years.

The 386-run partnership between Ponting and Clarke was the fourth highest of all time for Australia in Test cricket. The previous record of 341 set by South Africa's Eddie Barlow and Graeme Pollock in 1963-64. Clarke has become 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 India, R.Aswin claimed three wickets for 194 runs, while Zaheer claimed two.

The pitch has plenty of runs in it. India just needs their batsmen to fire. (ANI)