Warner punishes India with another century

Red-hot opening batsman David Warner punished a wasteful India with his second century of the first Test on Friday as Australia seized control of the match at the close of play on day four.

The combative left-hander, who scored an emotional 145 in the first innings, added another 102 to help fire Australia to a 363-run lead at a sun-drenched Adelaide Oval.

Steven Smith added a half-century to his own first innings ton to push the hosts to 290-5. He was unbeaten on 52 at stumps, with wicketkeeper Brad Haddin on 14, and Australia in position to make an early declaration on the final day.

Warner gazed at the sky in tribute to batsman Phillip Hughes during his first innings knock and repeated the gesture on Friday after raising his sixth hundred in his last 11 Test innings.

He got himself out attempting a frivolous reverse sweep and was bowled by legspinner Karn Sharma as the Australians picked up the tempo in the last session.

Mitchell Marsh joined in the party, smashing 24 runs, including three sixes, off one over from Sharma. But Marsh chanced his arm one time too many and was caught slogging in the deep after a cavalier 40 off 26 balls.

Injured captain Michael Clarke could not repeat his first innings heroics when he scored 128 despite a painful back strain and was caught behind for seven off the bowling of Varun Aaron.

Warner got a reprieve on 66 when Aaron bowled him only to be recalled when television replays showed the paceman overstepping the crease on his delivery.

A match that had proceeded in good spirit suddenly became tetchy. Aaron gave Warner a big send-off after rattling his stumps and the Australian retaliated after his let-off.

Umpires Marais Erasmus and Ian Gould intervened to stop the opposing players from arguing.

Tea

Opening batsman David Warner added a half-century to his first innings ton as Australia pushed their lead to 212 runs at tea on day four of the first Test after bowling India out for 444 in the morning on Friday.

Chris Rogers fell for 21 when his ill-struck sweep was caught at midwicket off the bowling of legspinner Karn Sharma, but Warner (69 not out) and Shane Watson (33 not out) combined for 101 runs to push Australia to 139-1.

A match that had proceeded quietly suddenly became tetchy as paceman Varun Aaron bowled Warner for 66, giving the opener a big send-off and then becoming crestfallen when the wicket was cancelled because he had overstepped his mark.

Warner walked back to the crease and fired some choice of words of his own at Aaron, prompting India opener Shikhar Dhawan to come remonstrate.

More India players rushed to the middle to express their opinion, causing umpires Marais Erasmus and Ian Gould to intervene and keep them apart from Australia's batsmen.

Though the deteriorating wicket was showing a bit more variation, the Australians appeared comfortable for the most part and will be confident of pushing on in the final session to put victory beyond reach of the tourists.

Lunch

Australia's opening batsmen Chris Rogers and David Warner survived to lunch to push Australia's second innings lead to 105 runs after India were bowled out for 444 early on day four of the first Test in Adelaide on Friday.

India resumed on 369-5 but lost their last five wickets for the addition of only 75 runs, with Australia spinner Nathan Lyon capturing 5-134.

Rogers (19 not out) and Warner (13 not out) pushed Australia to 32-0 at the break and the lefthanders were mostly comfortable in the 10 overs they faced on Adelaide Oval's largely benign wicket.
 
Rogers, however, was lucky to escape with wicket intact after a big shout for lbw and a nick just wide of a slip in the final over off part-time spinner Murali Vijay.

Though the deteriorating wicket was showing a bit more variation, the Australians will feel confident of building a total to push victory beyond reach of the tourists.

Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha and Rohit Sharma resumed for India and added 30 runs before Lyon caught the latter off his own bowling for 43.

Peter Siddle dropped Mohammed Shami when the batsman was on nine, spilling the catch a few feet in from the boundary when he slogged Lyon to deep midwicket.

Shami went on to lash a valuable 34 before he was caught behind off Siddle, with Shane Watson taking a fine, low catch in the slips to bring the innings to a close.

After Siddle's spilled catch, which had the ball bonk him on the forehead before dribbling to the rope for four, Lyon captured his fourth wicket minutes later.

It was somewhat fortuitous, however, when Saha was given out caught behind by Shane Watson at slip, although there appeared to be no edge off the bat.

Saha looked miffed at the decision, but India's rejection of the Decision Review System gave him no recourse to appeal.

Lyon grabbed his fifth wicket by dismissing Ishant Sharma for a duck when the paceman gloved a simple catch to Steven Smith at short leg.

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