India run riot against Australia

Kumble fell just short of securing his second Test century [EPA]

India posted a big score on the second day of the fourth test against Australia in Adelaide, with captain Anil Kumble falling just short of securing a second Test century.

India was dismissed for 526 just after tea on Friday, with Sachin Tendulkar scoring 153. Australia  scored 62 without loss, with Matthew Hayden on 36 and Phil Jaques on 21.

Jaques was almost run out on 12 by Dinesh Karthik, the substitute fieldsman missing with a backhand flick at the stumps.

India’s opening bowler R.P. Singh had to leave the field deep in the match with what appeared to be a strained hamstring.

India confident

Harbhajan Singh made 63 in partnership with Kumble for the eighth wicket, said he was confident India could level the series in Australia.

“I think it’s a very good wicket to bat on but we’ve got the runs on the board now so we can play around with our field and put them under pressure and try to get the wickets,” he said.

“We have a good chance to beat them in this game if we bowl the right sort of length and if we take our catches.”

Harbhajan said India had proved themselves to be strong rivals to Australia, who have dominated Test series.

“Any team is beatable if you play to your potential and we have got a very, very good team and great players,” he said.

“No team has challenged the Australians the way we have challenged them… We are not very far from them, they have done very well in the past, but I don’t live in the past.”

Record set

Kumble was the last man out, caught behind by Adam Gilchrist for 87 off the bowling of Mitchell Johnson.

The Australian team was unable to stop India posting a huge total [EPA]

The catch, Gilchrist’s fourth of the match, took his tally of wicketkeeping dismissals to a record 414, one ahead of South Africa’s Mark Boucher.

“It’s two very tiresome days for us, but I guess it shows the wicket is a nice wicket,” he said.

“Fortunately, we have got through tonight unscathed and have a good foundation to work from and we can take a lot out of the Indian innings as encouragement for our batting.”

The tourists were aided by several dropped catches from the normally clinical Australians.

India’s hopes of posting more than 400 seemed in jeopardy when Tendulkar was the seventh man out.

But Kumble and Harbhajan then added 107 runs on the eighth wicket.

Tendulkar received treatment to his knee after being struck a blow when he miscued an attempted pull off the previous delivery from Brett Lee.

Tendulkar went into the match with just 122 runs at 20.33 in his three previous visits to the Adelaide Oval, but hit his 39th century in his final Test there.

He was in good form on the second day before being struck after reaching 150.

Lee was the most impressive of the Australian bowlers with 3-101, while Johnson finished with 4-126.

India are 2-1 down in the four-match series and cannot regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.