A magnificent unbeaten innings of 176 by Ricky Ponting helped Australia amass a record first-day total of 5-400 in the second Test against India at Adelaide Oval.

Ponting's innings included 24 boundaries, from 245 balls in 364 minutes.

Adam Gilchrist brought up the 400 on the final ball of the day, pushing leg-spinner Anil Kumble to mid-off for a single, and was unbeaten on nine at the close.

Australia's total was the highest any side has scored on a single day of a Test match at Adelaide Oval and came at a scoring rate of 4.44 runs per over.

Ponting's innings was stylish, aggressive and dominated by offside shots, most of his boundaries coming from cover drives off the front or back foot as well as square and late cuts.

He was rarely troubled, apart from being dropped on 17 by Virender Sehwag, a sharp overhead chance at third slip off debutant left-arm paceman Irfan Pathan's bowling, and surviving a close lbw appeal from Kumble's bowling when on 109.

Australian captain Steve Waugh won the toss for first use of the flat pitch and, while India picked up the early wicket of Matthew Hayden (12), caught behind off Pathan in the sixth over, the rest of the day belonged totally to Australia.

Ponting and Justin Langer (58) put on a second-wicket stand of 113, at better than five per over, including one over in which Langer took 20 runs from Kumble, including two sixes and two fours.

Langer fell to Kumble on the second last ball of the opening session to make the score 2-135 at lunch.

Ponting then shared half-century stands with Damien Martyn (30) and Waugh (30), before adding a 138-run stand with Simon Katich (75) in the closing session.

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