Another for Sachin against the Aussies …

Sachin Tendulkar's 39th Test century - another masterpiece - has helped revive India's first innings to 5-309 off 86 overs of persistent Australian bowling by stumps on day one of the fourth 3 mobile Test at the Adelaide Oval.

Tendulkar, unconquered on 124, with three sixes and 10 fours, off 172 balls in his 146th Test, and Mahendra Dhoni (six not out) were together - and survived one over with the second new ball - after Tendulkar and VVS Laxman (51) had added 126 to rebuild the innings from 4-156 in the 42nd over to 5-282 in the 74th.

Dhoni, on three at 5-298, was dropped by Matthew Hayden - waist-high at first slip - off Mitchell Johnson, bowling around the wicket.

Laxman was missed by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist - rib height to his right - off Brett Lee when 37 at 4-240, but Lee had his revenge when Laxman tried to evade a short ball which ballooned off his left glove to Gilchrist on the leg side.

India lost the wickets of Irfan Pathan (nine) and Rahul Dravid (18) to Johnson while easing to 2-89 off 26 overs in the first session, and Virender Sehwag (63) and Sourav Ganguly (seven) went while 98 were taken off 27 overs in the second session.

Allrounder Pathan, promoted to open the batting instead of Wasim Jaffer, nicked a defensive push to Gilchrist off Johnson in the eighth over, and Dravid edged Johnson low to Ricky Ponting at second slip in the 24th over.

Sehwag, on 56 at lunch, left in the seventh over after the break when he snicked Lee to Hayden at first slip, and Ganguly left nine overs later, lbw to left-arm spinner Brad Hogg.

Left-hander Ganguly, with his right foot at full stretch down the pitch, missed a sweep off a straight one from Hogg and Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf deliberated for an unusually long time before signalling him out - and a stunned Ganguly seemed to be locked on the crease until he eventually departed reluctantly.

Tendulkar, 0 not out at lunch, cruised to his half-century off just 77 balls and his century came off 133 balls, and was greeted with a prolonged standing ovation from the crowd of 19,654 as The Little Master raised his bat and both arms above his head triumphantly.

He climbed from 92 to 102 off successive balls from part-time left-arm spinner Michael Clarke, with a six over long-on and a four wide of mid-off. Earlier, he had swung Hogg over wide mid-wicket for six and had driven him over the long-off boundary.

It was Tendulkar's ninth hundred in 25 Tests against Australia, including his sixth in 16 Tests in Australia - three in Sydney and one each in Perth, Melbourne and now Adelaide. His other three centuries against Australia were scored in Chennai (two) and Bangalore (one).

He had made only 122 in his previous six Test innings at Adelaide Oval - six and 17 in 1991-92, 61 and 0 in 1999-2000 and one and 37 in 2003-04.

Anil Kumble won the toss and conditions were fine and warm. Overnight rain dampened the outfield but did not affect the covered centre-wicket area where the pitch had a good, even covering of grass that had been shaved closely as always and played truly.

Highlights of Sachin's 124 notout :

Australia made two changes from the third Test in Perth, reincluding opening batsman Hayden, who had recovered from a hamstring strain, and Hogg for opening batsman Chris Rogers and fast bowler Shaun Tait.

India brought back off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for Jaffer, giving the tourists five front-line bowlers - pacemen RP Singh, Pathan and Ishant Sharma and spinners Kumble and Harbhajan.