Building on Steven Smith's fourth ton of this series, Shaun Marsh and Joe Burns hit patient half-centuries to power Australia to 538 for five at tea on the second day of the fourth and final cricket Test against India at the SCG, here today.
Resuming the session on 420 for four, Marsh (73) and Burns (52 not out) stitched together a 114-run fifth wicket partnership to counter attack after the Indian bowlers put up a disciplined show in the first session of play.
If Australia rode on the 196-run third wicket partnership between Steven Smith (117) and Shane Watson (81) to get through the first session of play with just 72 runs in 30 overs then the hosts managed to score 118 runs in the post-lunch session, which consisted of 29 overs.
Mohammed Shami (3-101) was India's most successful bowler after the medium-pacer picked up Smith in the morning session and then got Marsh caught behind to pick up the only wicket to fall in the second session of play.
The left-handed batsman though had done the job required of him after hitting 9 fours and a six in his 116-ball stay at the crease.
En route to his patient knock, Marsh got his third Test fifty in his 12th match to give Australia's first innings score some more muscle.
Burns, playing his second Test, also got to his maiden fifty with a slog sweep off Ravichandran Ashwin (1-142).
Haddin (7 not out) joined Burns in the final few overs of the session and ensured that Australia keep adding to India's misery.
Earlier resuming the day on 348 for two, Australia fought out some good opposition attack with Smith scoring his eight Test ton and Watson registering his 24th fifty in the longest format.
Watson was the first to go, adding just 20 more runs to his overnight score, as Shami got his second wicket. Watson was guilty of throwing away a Test hundred after he forced a pull of a short ball only to pick the fielder at deep mid-wicket.
Smith departed six overs later as the in-form batsman was also guilty of chasing a wide Umesh Yadav (1-137) delivery only get a feather touch and it was a regulation catch for wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha.
India though could have got another wicket in the 115th over of the innings through Ashwin after the off-spinner forced Marsh, 14 at that time, to edge one to gully only to see a diving Murali Vijay drop the red cherry.
