Adelaide, Jan 27: Australia are within four wickets of inflicting a 4-0 series whitewash against the touring Indian side. This after the hosts reduced the visitors to 166 for six, having set them a fourth-innings target of 500 to win.

After R Ashwin and Zaheer Khan struck late on Day 3, Australia resumed their second innings today from 50 for three. Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting took the Australian score beyond the 100-run mark with some brisk batting before Umesh Yadav induced an edge from the Australia skipper that was comfortably lapped up by wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha. Clarke made 27.

Ponting, meanwhile, continued his good showing in this series as he reached his half-century after Clarke’s dismissal. The Australian No. 4 was involved in a 36-run stand with Michael Hussey which was eventually broken when Ishant Sharma trapped Hussey (15) lbw with the Australian score at 147.

With the hosts having extended their lead to 486 at lunch, Ponting (60*) and Haddin (11*) batted for precisely three more overs in the second session before Australia declared their innings at 167 for five.

Asked to chase 500 runs in the fourth innings, the visitors started disastrously when Ryan Harris produced a beautiful delivery in the fifth over that moved away just enough to take the edge of Gautam Gambhir’s (3) bat. Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin moved a couple of steps to his left to complete an easy catch.

Virender Sehwag played in his usual, cavalier style with 12 hits to the boundary, mostly played on the up, giving the Australians hope with every flashy shot. Sehwag, though, survived his audacious shot-selection to bring up just his second half-century of the series off 36 deliveries. However, the Indian skipper couldn’t convert that feisty start into a bigger score as he miscued an attempted slog off a Nathan Lyon full toss and was caught at cover by Ricky Ponting. India went in to tea struggling at 92 for two.

Resuming after the tea interval, Harris lulled Rahul Dravid (25) into playing away from his body to a fullish delivery which the batsman only managed to edge to Michael Hussey standing at gully. Sachin Tendulkar (13), having gone on into a shell, fell 10 runs after Dravid’s dismissal caught by Ed Cowan at short leg off Lyon.

VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli then denied the Australians any further wickets for about 90 minutes of the last session in a 52-run stand that lasted 21.4 overs. However, the hosts eventually got rid of both batsmen in the dying minutes of the day’s play. Lyon had Laxman caught at shortish midwicket after the struggling batsman had made a patient 35, while Kohli (22) was needlessly run out courtesy a direct hit from Ben Hilfenhaus in the second last over of the day.

Having reduced the visitors to 166 for six, the Australians now need only four wickets on the final day to complete a series whitewash.

Brief scores:

At end of Day 4: Australia 1st innings 604/7 decl. in 157.0 overs (Ricky Ponting 221, R Ashwin 3/194) and Australia 2nd innings 167/5 decl. in 46.0 overs (Ricky Ponting 60, R Ashwin 2/73); India 1st innings 272 all out in 95.1 overs (Virat Kohli 116, Peter Siddle 5/49) and India 2nd innings 166/6 in 56.0 overs (Virender Sehwag 62, Nathan Lyon 3/57)

At end of Day 3: Australia 1st innings 604/7 decl. in 157.0 overs (Ricky Ponting 221, R Ashwin 3/194) and Australia 2nd innings 50/3 in 14.0 overs (Michael Clarke 9*, David Warner 28, R Ashwin 2/24); India 1st innings 272 all out in 95.1 overs (Virat Kohli 116, Peter Siddle 5/49)

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)