Kohli slams maiden ton but Aussies retain firm grip on fourth Test

Zaheer Khan (C) dismissed Shaun Marsh while R Ashwin took the wickets of David Warner and Ed Cowan on the Day 3 of the fourth Test. (AFP Photo)

ADELAIDE: India's new generation temporarily held sway at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday. Of the four hours that Virat Kohli spent at the crease in making a refreshing 116, the 135 minutes he batted with Wriddhiman Saha were pure bliss as the two youngsters gave their talent full expression after the old guard had embarrassed itself again.

Scorecard | Match in Pics | In Pics: Virat slams maiden Test century 

The Kohli-Saha partnership that produced 114 sparkling runs was like a sudden burst of sunshine on a day that was clouded by yet another failure of India's top five.

Having come into bat at 111/5, Saha - playing only because skipper MS Dhoni is suspended - made a gutsy 35 that was the second-highest score of the Indian innings.

The Kohli-Saha show was the only highlight of the Indian innings that caved in once the wicketkeeper-batsman, misjudging a Ryan Harris off-cutter, shouldered arms and was clean bowled. The last four wickets fell for just 38 runs but not before Kohli, amid much drama, had reached three figures. He is the first Indian to do so in the series.

India ended with just 272 on the board, and even though they were 332 runs in arrears of Australia's first innings tally - and therefore liable to follow-on - skipper Michael Clarke decided not to enforce the same.

There was some artificial excitement towards the end of the day's play when the home team lost their top-three for just 50 runs, but with an overall lead of 382 and seven wickets standing, Australia were merely stirred, not shaken. Barring a miracle, it is hard to see this Indian line-up denying Australia a clean sweep of the four-Test series that was lost 10 days ago in Perth.

Earlier, the Australia Day began on a happy note for the home team when Peter Siddle once again had the measure of Sachin Tendulkar.

The Little Master had looked to be in no discomfort as he took his over night score (12) to 25, playing subdued cricket in the company of Gautam Gambhir. So when he edged a full-length ball to Ricky Ponting low down at second slip, the excitement of a big holiday crowd died an early death.

Highest Fourth Innings Totals At Adelaide
Runs	Wkts	Team	Against	Venue	Result
445	10	India	Australia	1977-78	Lost
370	10	England	Australia	1920-21	Lost
363	10	England	Australia	1924-25	Lost
339	10	Australia	South Africa	1910-11	Lost
339	9	Australia	West Indies	1968-69	Drawn
336	10	Australia	England	1928-29	Lost
335	5	England	Australia	1990-91	Drawn
333	10	India	Australia	1991-92	Lost
328	3	Australia	England	1970-71	Drawn
315	6	Australia	England	1901-02	Won

Gambhir, who gives the impression that he is expecting every delivery to be a bouncer, perished while fending off one from Siddle that had been dug in very short. In spite of having enough time to get out of its way, he failed to take his bat away and Mike Hussey dived forward at gully to hold the resultant 'lollipop'.

VVS Laxman did little to justify his continuance in the side by failing to use his feet even to off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who had him caught behind, pushing him closer to retirement, forced or otherwise.

But for Kohli's exuberance and uninhibited stroke play, India would have hurtled towards a third successive innings defeat. He drove with authority on both sides of the wicket, both against pace and spin, and also pulled whenever they dropped it short. In Saha, he found an ally willing to run hard.

Together, they ran the Australians ragged as they garnered 103 runs in the second session that culminated with Saha's dismissal.

Kohli panicked after the tea-break when Siddle returned to dismiss Ashwin and Zaheer Khan off successive balls. In danger of running out of partners - like in Perth - Kohli employed the big shots to take him to the threshold of the landmark and then survived run-out chance and a bout of sledging from the Aussies.