A recap into India's nightmarish time in the fourth Adelaide Test of 2011-12

As the dust settles over Phil Hughes' untimely demise thanks to fatal head injuries he suffered during a Sheffield Shield match recently, the focus lies on the first test match between Australia and India at Adelaide, with a Mitchell Johnson spearheaded bowling line-up expected to breath fire at the visitors.

Despite the Australians still in mourning after losing Hughes, whom they labeled as 'one of their own', Johnson has Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris and Josh Hazlewood for company this time around, as the Michael Clarke led outfit would look to shrug away off-field issues and try to outgun India in what may turn out to be a bowler-friendly track at the Oval.

Though there has been a change in personnel for the Aussies this time around in the bowling department, with Hazlewood coming in place of Ben Hilfenhaus, the latter tormenting India throughout the 2011-12 series, it would be expected that the home side come full throttle at India come December 9.

Flashback 2011-12: Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke drown India with a flood of runs in the fourth test at Adelaide

Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting walk off after a job well done (Getty Images)
 

The Adelaide Test match between the two sides in 2011-12 can be remembered for only two reasons, the first being Ponting and Clarke's virtuoso double hundreds which slammed the door shut on hopes of an Indian fightback, and second for Virat Kohli's fighting 116, which helped the visitors salvage grace from the game.

Though India were a well and truly beaten side at the end of a massive 298-run defeat, still Ponting and Clarke's knocks can be counted amongst the best Australia has seen in recent memory.
 
Australia had already sealed the series 3-0 in the previous test match at Perth, thanks to David Warner's pyrotechnics with the bat and also Hilfenhaus and Siddle running riot with the ball.

So come Adelaide and India were already a demoralised side, thanks to three crushing test defeats which had all but shattered their confidence to bits.

Despite a Zaheer Khan led attack reducing Australia to 84 for 3 in the early part of Day One, India's worst fears came true when Ponting and Clarke decided to take center-stage and played two marvellous knocks, which all but knocked the wind out of their sails.

Ponting showed exactly why he is a world-class batsman (Getty Images)

By the time Clarke fell with the score at 470 for 3 on day two, both batsmen had flayed the Indian bowling for almost an entire day, and ensured that the team was set to post a mammoth first innings total.

Skipper Clarke who walked off to thunderous applause, had plundered 210 runs off 275 balls in a 380-minute stay at the crease, which included 26 fours and one six.  

By the time Ponting departed, Australia had reached an imposing 530 for 6, with the match well and truly out of India's hands.

If Clarke accelerated his innings with some classy strokeplay, Ponting was all vigil and concentration, as his 221 yielded 21 fours, and was achieved in 404 balls, within a space of 516 minutes.

Ponting showed tremendous character during his marathon knock, and showed why exactly is he rated amongst the world's best, as he wore out the Indian bowling with his gritty backfoot play, and also dispatched them with considerable arrogance, as and when the situation demanded.

Both batsmen put on 386 runs for the fourth wicket, which is incidentally Australia's fourth highest in test matches, and by the time Clarke declared at 604 for 7, a 4-0 series whitewash loomed large over India.

Virat Kohli stands tall amidst an Indian batting collapse

Kohli exults after his century (Getty Images)

Come the Indian innings and despite having a near impossible task of rescuing the game, Kohli's composed century stood out for the sheer character it displayed amongst Australian pace hostility.

If Siddle and Hilfenhaus were toppling over the rest of India's batting line-up like nine-pins, Kohli showed grit and application to grind out 116 in 213 balls, which included 11 fours and a six.

What makes Kohli's knock even more remarkable is the fact that even experienced veterans like Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar succumbed to Australia's pace fury, and by the time India were finished at 272, Kohli resembled a lone ranger frantically looking to rescue a sinking ship.

That ton underlined Kohli's credentials as a future star in the making for Indian cricket and also proved that the young turk could adapt to hostile conditions and an equally intimidating bowling attack.

Day three: Australia blitz through to 167 for 5; set India an improbable 499-run target

Ponting scores a timely 60 (Getty Images)

Clarke's side looked in a hurry to close out the game, thanks to their batsmen treating their second essay as an ODI contest.

Ponting hit a patient unbeaten 60, and as Australia ended the day at 167 for 5, India had a gargantuan task of hunting down 499 runs in two days play.

Day four and five: Australia hammer final nail in India's coffin

Peter Siddle celebrates after the fall of an Indian wicket (Getty Images)

With virtually very little chance of them salvaging a draw, India's batsmen groped and nudged at whatever the Australian bowling threw at them, and as the fourth day ended, they were left tottering at 166 for 6, with more than half their side being polished off by Ryan Harris and Nathan Lyon.

Sehwag showed some semblance of a fight thanks to his quickfire 62, and apart from that knock the rest of India's batting  collapsed in a heap, and were staring down the barrell once more.

As Day five unfolded, Australia performed the final rites, with the rest of India's batsmen being consumed in quick succession. 

As India folded at 210, Clarke's men had recorded a gigantic 298-run win and had humiliated India 4-0, with their bowlers stealing the show throughout the series.

Stat Attack!

Clarke and Ponting finished with 626 and 544 runs at the end of the series and Hilfenhaus and Siddle shared 50 wickets between them, making life miserable for India.

Kohli's tally of 300 runs proved to be India's sole bright spot and as far as the bowling was concerned Zaheer and Umesh Yadav finished with a combined haul of 29 wickets.

Statistically speaking Australia overhauled India in every department, and hammered home the fact that they are 'the' team to beat when it comes to the test arena.

Will the ghosts of 2011-12 haunt India this time around?

Australia may be more dangerous this time around (Getty Images)

While it may be too premature to say as to whether India will face the same fate come December 9, still standing up to Johnson and co. will prove to be even harder than what it was in 2011-12.

With a refurbished team and a much wiser Kohli waiting in the wings, it won't be a surprise if India manage to show teeth this time around and take the fight back to the Aussie camp.

So be prepared for a nail biting contest as India aim to banish memories of that ill-fated 2011-12 trip and try to conjure up something special at the Adelaide Oval!