Adelaide, Jan 26: Virat Kohli scored his maiden test century and India's bowlers claimed some early scalps in Australia's second innings but the hosts retained their dominant position after three days of the fourth and final test at the Adelaide Oval.
Kohli's 116 was the standout innings on Thursday in another disappointing batting performance by India, which was bowled out for 272, conceding a 332-run first-innings lead. Peter Siddle took 5-49 for Australia.
The hosts elected not to enforce the follow-on and at stumps were 50-3 in their second innings, with an overall lead of 382 and with in-form pair Michael Clarke (9 not out) and Ricky Ponting (1 not out) to resume on day four.
India collapsed from 225-5 just before tea, losing its final five wickets for 47 runs to the second new ball as Siddle hurried the capitulation.
Kohli's innings was full of class and was in marked contrast to the failures of his more esteemed teammates, who failed to make the most of batsmen-friendly conditions.
All eyes Thursday were on Sachin Tendulkar, who could not have asked for a more benign pitch as he sought to finally score his elusive 100th international century.
But within the first hour, Tendulkar disappointed the packed Australia Day crowd and fell for 25 runs. He has now gone a career-worst 23 innings without a century. He will likely get one more chance on this pitch in this final test, with one-dayers to follow.
Siddle (5-49) removed Tendulkar, caught at second slip by Ponting, and opener Gautham Gambhir (34), caught when fending a short ball, in the space of nine balls of the morning session.
V.V.S. Laxman was Nathan Lyon's sole scalp, caught behind after a turgid 18 runs.
Later in the day, armed with the second new ball, Siddle returned to dismiss Ravichandran Ashwin (5) and Zaheer Khan (0) in successive deliveries but Ishant Sharma denied him on the hat trick ball.
Siddle bowled a disconcertingly line and length and was richly rewarded for the effort with his fifth five-wicket haul in a 31 test career. He took his series tally to 22 wickets at an average of 17.36.
Swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus complemented Siddle's pace with 3-62 and taking the series tally to 26 wickets at 16.53.
Kohli, the 23-year-old from Delhi, scored India's first hundred of the series. He showed great maturity and responsibility in his near four-hour innings that was crowned with a pulled six over midwicket and 11 fours.
Resuming on 122-5 after lunch Kohli and Wriddhiman Saha (35) stood between India and another meek capitulation. They got on top of the Australian bowling in the post-lunch session—a rarity for the visitors—only for Saha to be out to the last ball before tea, shouldering arms and being bowled by Ryan Harris.
Saha, filling in as wicketkeeper for suspended captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, batted sensibly for just over two hours for his 35 runs.
Siddle then swiftly dispatched the tail, aside from a handy ninth-wicket stand between Kholi and Sharma, who put on 33 at better than a run per minute. Tempers flared between the Indian pair and Hilfenhaus before the umpires intervened.
Kohli finally fell trapped lbw by Hilfenhaus and left to a standing ovation from a record 35,081 single day crowd on the Australia Day national holiday.
