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New Delhi: Cheteshwar Pujara scored an unbeaten 82 to help India chase down 155-run target on Day 3 of the fourth Test and clinched a historic series whitewash by inflicting 4-0 defeat on Australia.
This is the first time India has whitewashed any opposition 4-0. This is the second time in their Test history that Australia have been whitewashed. The last time being against the South African Springboks in 1970. Australia have now lost seven Test matches on the bounce in India, their worst ever losing streak in history.
Australian spinners halted India's chase by dismissing Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Ajinkya Rahane in quick succession.
Opener Cheteshwar Pujara slammed a brilliant fifty to keep the Australians at bay, taking India close to a historic 4-0 clean sweep.
The target of 155 might have looked a challenging one considering the nature of the strip but both Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli made batting look easy on a difficult track.
Starting the chase, Murali Vijay was bowled trying to play a needless reverse sweep off a Glenn Maxwell delivery.
However, Pujara playing with a swollen hand along with Kohli showed positive intent as they scored at a fast pace, averaging at six runs per over during the session.
Pujara, decided to show his stroke-making prowess as India reached their 50 in the ninth over.
Earlier, Ravindra Jadeja (5-58) created terror in the minds of the Australian batsmen with vicious turn and bounce as they were all-out for 164 in their second innings.
Peter Siddle produced another gutsy performance with the willow as he took the Indian attack by the scruff of its neck scoring a 45-ball 50 with seven boundaries. His innings was a lesson for the Australian top-order about the technique needed to survive on treacherous track.
Incidentally, Siddle was the best Aussie batsman in both innings as his effort meant that the visitors put up a fight.
Jadeja, first removed Glenn Maxwell, who was sent up the order to open the innings. Maxwell (8) didn't come fully forward to a delivery from Jadeja that pitched on the middle stump and turned a shade to hit the off-stump.
David Warner (8) was then trapped leg before in Jadeja's very next over as the batsmen played a length ball on the backfoot. He was caught plumb in-front.
The tension brewing between Jadeja and Warner came into the forefront once again as the Indian left-arm spinner gave the batsman a rude 'send-off' which could earn him a sanction from the match referee.
Phillip Hughes, who had two decent knocks under his belt, got a questionable decision when Ashwin coming round the wicket trapped him on his back-pad. The television replays, however, showed that the ball would have probably missed the off-stump. Hughes managed only six.
The normally dogged Ed Cowan (24, 5x4s) employed a positive approach as defending on this track looked impossible. Most of the times, the tactic he used to counter Jadeja was to take a big stride forward to stop the ball from doing unusual tricks. He got a few boundaries in the process.
Stand-in captain captain Shane Watson hit a lovely on-drive but then played a rash shot off an innocuous delivery from Pragyan Ojha.
Watson rocked on the backfoot to pull a short ball that kept a little low, only to get an inside edge onto the stumps.
The score was 51 for four but within two runs, Cowan was gone as Jadeja pitched one on the good length and turned enough to catch the left-hander on the backfoot.
Within first 20 overs of the Australian second innings, the top five were back in the hut.
The post lunch session saw Steven Smith and Mitchell Johnson being removed by Jadeja off successive balls but two crucial stands of 28 and 35 for the eighth and ninth wickets respectively - both involving Siddle - helped them cross 150.
In the morning, it took only eight minutes and 13 deliveries to polish off the Indian tail as Nathan Lyon got his career-best figures of seven for 94 with the hosts managing a slender lead of 10 runs
The Man of the Match is Ravindra Jadeja for his all-round show. He picked 43 runs and 7 wickets five in 2nd innings. No surprises as Ashwin is declared the Man of the series.
Brief scores
India 272 (Vijay 57, Pujara 52, Lyon 7-94) and 72 for 1 (Pujara 82*, Kohli 41)
Australia 262 (Siddle 51, Ashwin 5-57) and 164 (Siddle 50, Jadeja 5-58)
Result India won by six wickets
MOM Ravindra Jadeja (India)
Man of the series Ravichandran Ashwin (India)
