Glenn McGrath claimed three wickets, Michael Kasprowicz two and Shane Warne bagged the all-important scalp of V V S Laxman to reduce India to 150 for 6 wickets by the end of Day 2 in the first Test against Australia at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore, on Thursday.
At close of play, Parthiv Patel, on 18, and Irfan Pathan, 1, were holding fort.
Earlier, a 167-run partnership between Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist (104) all but ended India's hopes of winning the Test.
Clarke, with a display of exceptional footwork against the spinners, scored 151 -- the sixth highest score by an Australian on debut -- and put Australia in a position of immense strength.
The potent combination of a super quick outfield and aggressive batting enabled Australia pile on the runs.
Morning session
(107 runs in 25.1 overs, 1 wicket)
At the close of play on day 1 Anil Kumble mentioned that India needed to dismiss the Aussies for another 70-80 runs to have a chance of winning the match. Being the highest wicket-taker at Bangalore he certainly knew what he was talking about.
But thinking and executing are two very different characteristics, especially when faced with the prospect of bowling on a very slow pitch that offers very little by way of assistance to the bowlers. Clarke and Gilchrist batted as if they were having a session in the nets.
They stroked the ball easily and scored 39 runs off the first ten overs of the day. By the 100th over of the match, the run-rate had already touched 3.5 and it promised to get much worse for the Indians. The 100-run partnership for the sixth wicket came off just 122 balls.
At this point, India skipper Sourav Ganguly was letting the match drift and needed to show some imagination. Zaheer Khan, who had opened the attack with Irfan, was trying hard, but on the day it was just not enough. Ganguly opted for two gullies on a pitch that had neither bounce nor movement. It was highly unlikely that the ball would ever carry to them.
A flick for two off Irfan saw Clarke become the 12th Australian to score a century on debut and also the first debutant to do so against India. It was an innings of sublime quality; the hundred came off 171 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes.
At the other end, Gilchrist was starting to make every ball count. A four and a six straight down the wicket in consecutive Kumble overs showed that the Aussies were looking to hammer home the advantage of the big opening day's total of 316 for 5.
Another six over long-on and a square-cut for four in the next over from Harbhajan Singh saw Gilchrist, who had started the day on 35, move to 80 off 85 balls.
Clarke, having got to his century, joined in the fun with two boundaries in Kumble's next over. The four overs between the 104th and the 107th realized 31 runs for the Aussies and prompted Harbhajan to change his line of attack to way outside the leg-stump.
The off-spinner succeeded in keeping Gilchrist quiet for four balls. The fifth ball drifted closer to leg-stump and the Aussie captain was to the pitch in a flash and on-drove it against the spin for four. The shot also brought up Australia's 400, which came in 459 minutes.
Gilchrist moved from 94 to 102 with two on-drives off Kumble. His century came off 103 balls, including 13 boundaries and three sixes.
Harbhajan struck a much-needed blow for the Indians when he dismissed Gilchrist, caught and bowled off the last ball of the session. The damage, though, had already been done. Gilchrist scored 104 off 108 balls and the partnership for the sixth wicket was worth 167 runs. (423 for 4)
The Aussies played flawless cricket in the morning session and did not give the Indians a chance, adding 107 runs in 25.1 overs during the session. Clarke was unbeaten on 111.
If the first day was an absorbing battle, the morning session on Day 2 was a massacre.
Post-lunch session
(Australia: 14.5 overs, 51 runs, 4 wickets)
(India: 10 overs, 34 runs, 2 wickets)
The second session started a lot better for India. Harbhajan struck by claiming Warne (1) with his doosra. The right-hander misread the delivery and was caught by Dravid in the slips. (427 for 7)
But then, as if in answer, Clarke stepped up a gear. The 23-year-old had played Kumble with an ease that defied logic. Most new batsmen struggle against Kumble's unorthodox bowling; Clarke seemed to relish it.
In the decade gone by, few batsmen would have used their feet against Kumble. Even fewer would have succeeded; but Clarke did it with aplomb. He dispatched the leggie for a six over mid-wicket, followed by a four in exactly the same place off the next ball and then, as if to say, 'I can do it on the off-side too', he drove one through the off for four.
It was a battle between youth and experience, which Clarke won hands down. Never has one seen Kumble, arguably India's greatest spinner, treated with such disdain. Ganguly was forced to take him out of the attack.
Kumble's bowling figures for the day at that point read 15-2-71-0.
Clarke, meanwhile, galloped to his 150 off 248 balls, but was dismissed after adding just one more run to his total.
Zaheer finally got the big wicket. Looking to drive the ball, Clarke edged it to wicketkeeper Patel.
It was the sixth highest Test score by an Australian on debut. (471 for 8)
The crowd rose in unison as Clarke walked back to the pavilion. Strangely, he looked rather disappointed. His knock contained 18 fours and four sixes.
Kasprowicz (3), the new batsman, was sent back to the pavilion three runs later, caught by Yuvraj Singh off Harbhajan. (474 for 9)
Harbhajan struck again on the same score, trapping McGrath (0) leg before wicket to claim his fifth wicket of the innings. He ended up with figures of 41-7-146-5.
Australia were all out for 474. Gillespie was not out on 7.
Indian innings
The Indian innings started disastrously. Akash Chopra (0) and Rahul Dravid (0) were back in the pavilion with only four runs on the board. McGrath accounted for both batsmen.
Chopra was gone leg before wicket off the fourth ball of the innings, while a huge in-cutter accounted for Dravid, who was clean bowled.
There was an element of doubt in Chopra's dismissal, as the ball might have been too high. But the one that got Dravid was a beauty.
It could have very well been three wickets for four runs, but Clarke, at second slip, grassed a very difficult chance off Jason Gillespie to give Sehwag a life.
Ganguly walked in next and announced his arrival at the wicket with two fours, a pull and a beautifully timed off-drive.
The runs kept coming easily enough but McGrath had struck two vital blows that, in the final reckoning, could prove decisive.
India finished the session on 34 for the loss of two wickets, with Sehwag on 10 and Ganguly on 18. The partnership for the third wicket was an unfinished 30.
Post-tea session
(34 overs, 116 runs, 4 wickets)
In the final session of the day it was vital that India planned their innings in such a way that they would not lose many wickets. It basically meant that while scoring runs they had to be careful about not throwing away wickets.
Sehwag and Ganguly started the session well, playing with authority, attacking the loose ball and defending against the good ones.
In this manner 83 runs were realized. The crowd started to warm to the attacking strokes and began chanting 'Sehwag, Sehwag'. A fightback was on; at least that's what they thought.
But, just then, Sehwag let his guard down. It was only for a moment, but enough to prove disastrous. In Kasprowicz's second over, he tried to play the ball through mid-wicket but failed to keep it down and Justin Langer held on to complete a good catch. (87 for 3)
Sehwag scored 39, inclusive of six fours. Ganguly was still standing firm, but the Aussies were making some serious inroads.
Laxman walked in to a huge ovation. In 2001, he took the Aussies by surprise; this time they knew how vital his wicket would be.
Kasprowicz was bowling very well. A brilliant off-cutter helped him dismiss Ganguly, caught behind the wicket for 45. (98 for 4)
While leg-cutters and off-cutters are a forgotten art as far as Indian pacemen are concerned, Kasprowicz and McGrath used them sensibly and got the desired results.
On a pitch that offered very little by way of assistance to the bowlers, the duo based their strategy on their vast experience.
Yuvraj joined Laxman at the wicket, but couldn't hang around for long. A lazy stroke outside the off-stump brought about his dismissal after he had scored five unconvincing runs. (124 for 5)
It was back to square one; back to one man, Laxman, standing between Australia and victory. Watching the rest of the Indians bat, it was hard to believe that this was the same wicket on which Clarke has scored 151 and Gilchrist 104 earlier in the day.
Indian hopes of another 281 by the Hyderabadi were doused by a brilliant delivery from Warne. The ball spun from outside Laxman's leg-stump and crashed into the off-stump. The Aussies celebrated as the right-hander walked back to the pavilion after scoring 31. (136 for 6)
Warne's celebration had its own story to tell. With that dismissal he banished the demons of the Eden Gardens and also claimed his first scalp of the match.
That brought two 19-year-olds in Patel and Pathan together. They are India's last hopes of reaching at least 200.
India seem destined to follow-on and then fight for survival.
Played was called off due to bad light with five overs remaining.
At close, India were 150 for the loss of 6 wickets off 44 overs. Patel was unbeaten on 18, with Pathan as company, on 1.
Can India survive? Can Patel and Pathan work a miracle? Tomorrow holds a lot of answers that will decide the course of this Test.
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