Australia declare at 604 for seven

ADELAIDE: Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke both hit brilliant double centuries in a record partnership of 386 to drive Australia to 604 for seven declared on the second day of the fourth test against India on Wednesday.

Clarke made 210 for his second big innings in the series after an unbeaten 329 in the Sydney test, while Ponting, his predecessor as Australia skipper, made 221 after the pair batted through the morning session.

They were separated two balls after lunch when Clarke was bowled by Umesh Yadav and three more wickets fell before tea as the host batsmen went for their shots on a good batting wicket.

Perhaps mindful that England declared on for 551-6 at the Adelaide Oval in 2006 and still lost the test, Clarke waited until after Brad Haddin (42 not out) and Ryan Harris (35 not out) had taken the total past 600 before calling time on the innings.

Already 3-0 down in the series after three emphatic defeats, India had laboured on another sweltering morning as Clarke and Ponting ruthlessly, and often stylishly, drove home their advantage.

Resuming at 335-3, the Australian duo reached 400 after the first hour and in the process passed their own record partnership for Australia against India of 288, which they set in the Sydney test.

The next mark to fall was the all-time record partnership for the Adelaide Oval, which came when they exceeded the 341 that Eddie Barlow and Graeme Pollock shared in 1964.

Clarke brought up his second double century of the series 20 minutes before lunch with two runs through mid-wicket, celebrating with his ritual kiss of the insignia on his helmet.

The 30-year-old took 361 minutes and 255 balls to reach the tally with another imperious display, which included 25 fours and one six.

Ponting was not far behind but was forced to wait nervously over the lunch break for his second double century against India at Adelaide after the 242 he hit in a losing cause in 2003-04.

The sixth double century of his career finally came courtesy of a trademark pull to midwicket for his 21st four in the 459-minute, 357-ball innings and the celebration left no doubt what it meant to the Tasmanian.

Clarke had already departed after being bowled between bat and pad by paceman Yadav, the first wicket to fall in more than three full sessions.

The 380-minute partnership was two runs short of the Australian record for a fourth-wicket partnership set by Donald Bradman and Bill Ponsford when they made 388 at Headingly in 1934.

Mike Hussey made a quickfire 25 from 33 balls before a brilliant Gautam Gambhir throw ran him out and Ponting followed soon afterwards when another pull off Zaheer Khan found Sachin Tendulkar on the mid-wicket boundary.

Spinner Ravi Ashwin's carrom ball accounted for Peter Siddle (2) giving wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, standing in for banned India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his first test catch. (Reuters)