In the last day of the Fourth Test Match in New Delhi, Australia held on to force a draw at the Ferozshah Kotla Stadium on Thursday (October 18). Hero of the fight-back was Australia's number six batsman Dave Whatmore, who scored a dogged 54 and who thwarted Indian hopes of victory after they had forced the Australians to follow on. Whatmore came in at 205 for 4, with Australia still in urgent need of runs.

SYNOPSIS: Dave Whatmore soon found it was not going to be an easy innings. This Ghavri bouncer went only inches over both his head and the stumps.

But with the arrival of Peter Sleep, seen here facing Kapil Dev, the Australian resistance began. Previously, the Indians had looked on top, having reduced the Australians to 298 for 5, a lead of eighty-six.

The home crowd wanted quick wickets, but whatmore was not giving his away, as this square cut off Yadav demonstrated. Time began to run out for India, and it was little comfort for them when Whatmore, on 49, pushed Ghavri away for a single, registering his second half-century of the game. Australia were 102 runs ahead with five wickets left and India's chances of a second innings look slim.

Four runs later, though, Whatmore was returning to the pavilion, L.B.W. to Kapil Dev. New hope for the crowd, but it was not to be. As Indian Skipper Gavaskar experimented with his bowlers, Chauhan was comfortably dealt with by Sleep, who seemed to enjoy the respite from the Indian pace attack.

Gavaskar even bowled himself - a move appreciated by the crowd - but he was unable to prevent the game subsiding into a draw. The Australians lost four more wickets, the last of these thing Rodney Hogg, who was run out for nine, but the Australian innings ended at 413, leaving India no time to reply.