Adelaide, Jan 25: Australia continued to dominate against India on Day 2 of the Adelaide Test as double centuries from Ricky Ponting (221) and Michael Clarke (210) allowed the hosts to put up a mammoth score of 604 for seven declared. To add to the visitors’ misery, the hosts reduced them to 61 for two in 21 overs before the end of day’s play.

Having gone wicketless in the last two sessions on Day 1, India were once again at the receiving end of an excellent batting display by Ponting and Clarke in the morning session today. The two batsmen pulverised a listless Indian attack with Michael Clarke alone adding 70 runs and going past the double-century mark in the period leading up to lunch. Ponting, meanwhile, reached 198 thanks to a fluffed caught and bowled opportunity by Ishant Sharma when the batsman was on 186. Australia, accordingly, were 469 for three when the first session drew to a close.

Clarke was unable to add to his score of 210 after the lunch interval as Umesh Yadav produced a delivery that brushed the batsman’s pad and disturbed the bails. That wicket broke Clarke’s 386-run stand with Ponting, the fourth-highest partnership of all time for Australia in Test cricket and the highest ever partnership in an Adelaide Test.

Ponting, who was on 199 at the time of Clarke’s dismissal, brought up his double-century with a strong front-foot pull to the boundary off Yadav. The Australian veteran then looked set to surpass his personal highest score of 257, but was eventually caught by Sachin Tendulkar at deep midwicket off Zaheer Khan while playing the pull shot when on 221.

Australia lost Michael Hussey (25) to a run out and Peter Siddle (2) on either side of Ponting’s wicket. However, from 533 for seven, Brad Haddin (42*) and Ryan Harris (35*) produced a demoralising 71-run stand that took Australia’s score past the 600-run mark.

Australia chose to declare their innings at 604 for seven. The visitors’ poor batting run continued as Virender Sehwag (18 off 18 balls) and Rahul Dravid (1) were dismissed in quick succession to leave India wobbling at 31 for two.

Gautam Gambhir (30*) and Sachin Tendulkar (12*), nevertheless, negotiated a tense 45 minutes to help India end the day at 61 for the loss of two wickets.

Brief scores:

At end of Day 2: Australia 1st innings 604/7 decl. in 157.0 overs (Ricky Ponting 221, Michael Clarke 210, R Ashwin 3/194); India 1st innings 61/2 in 21/0 overs (Gautam Gambhir 30*, Sachin Tendulkar 12*, Peter Siddle 1/13)

At end of Day 1: Australia 1st innings 335/3 in 90.0 overs (Ricky Ponting 137*, Michael Clarke 140*, R Ashwin 2/81)