Ace leg spinner Anil Kumble did the star turn for India.
Three days short of his 34th birthday, he claimed seven wickets for 48 runs to bowl out Australia for 235 in their first innings in the post-tea session on day one of the second Test against India at the M A Chidambaran stadium on Thursday.
After Harbhajan Singh claimed two wickets off three balls in the post-lunch session to see off the well-set Aussie openers, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, Kumble ran through the Aussie innings before wrapping it up by running out Glenn McGrath.
In the process, the 33-year-old leggie claimed his 25th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and moved to eighth place in the all-time bowlers' list ahead of West Indies' Curtly Ambrose.
From 136 for no loss, after Adam Gilchrist won the toss and elected to bat, Australia's innings folded up for the addition of just 99 runs.
Only four batsmen -- Langer, Hayden, Katich and Martyn -- got into doubles figures, with Langer top-scoring with 71 runs.
At stumps, India were 28 for the loss of opener Yuvraj Singh's wicket.
Virender Sehwag was unbeaten on 20, inclusive of three fours, while night-watchman Irfan Pathan is yet to open his account.
Morning session (25 overs, 111 runs)
The second Test between India and Australia at the historic Chepauk is not just a test for many of the youngsters in the Indian team, but a defining moment in their careers.
To beat the world's best team in a Test series at home is a pleasant memory that would serve to inspire them for the rest of their careers.
It is also a battle between an Indian team sans Sachin Tendulkar and an Australia team without skipper Ricky Ponting. For the moment, Australia are winning hands down. Can India turn tables on the visitors?
Australia skipper Adam Gilchrist won the toss and elected to bat without any hesitation. The Indians were again consigned to a tough day in the field, not exactly the best start to the Test.
India needed to make the first hour count. The pitch promised bounce, but Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan had to be at their best to exploit the conditions. Australia fielded an unchanged team while India made one change, Mohammad Kaif coming into the side for Akash Chopra.
The change also meant that Yuvraj Singh will open the innings with Virender Sehwag when India bats.
For the first hour, however, it was the Indians who did all the chasing. 37 runs came off the first 44 balls as neither Zaheer nor Irfan made an impact. The Aussies were back to their aggressive best. It was tense period; the crowd was still building up, but the Aussies were on top of their game.
Justin Langer led the charge. He was joined by Matthew Hayden, who, after failing in both innings of the first Test at Bangalore, was looking for a big score.
After nine overs, Ganguly was forced to make a change and turn to his strike bowler, Harbhajan Singh. The off-spinner has claimed 22 wickets in two Tests at Chennai and Ganguly would have surely been looking for more of that.
Harbhajan started with a slip and short-leg, but Langer and Hayden chose to go after him straightaway. A four in his first over by Langer was followed by a huge six over long-on by Hayden in his second. The batsmen's game plan was clear: don't allow Harbhajan to settle into a rhythm.
After the first hour of play, Australia had put on 49 runs in 12 overs and it was about to get worse for the Indians. Runs started to flow from both ends even though the spinners extracted turn and bounce from the wicket.
In the fourth innings, India cannot afford to be chasing anything more than 200.
Hayden brought up his 50 with a huge six over long-on, this time off Kumble. His half-century came off just 62 balls, with six boundaries and two sixes.
Langer reached his fourth half-century against the Indians in the same over, his fifty coming off 73 balls.
When lunch was called, Australia were 111 runs after 25 overs. Justin Langer, on 55, and Matthew Hayden, on 52, were at the crease.
Post-lunch session (26.1 overs, 78 runs, three wickets)
The challenge for India after lunch was to keep the runs down to the minimum. Unless they did that Australia would run away with the game. In the first session runs flowed freely from both ends and it was important for one bowler to tie down one end so that Harbhajan could attack from the other.
The off-spinner looked the only player capable of getting a breakthrough in the morning session and now it was time he got support from the others.
A wicket would have been welcome at this stage; two wickets and India would be back in the game. But who would provide the vital breakthrough? As if in reply to that question, Harbhajan struck a double blow, claiming two wickets in three balls, to change the complexion of the game.
It was the ninth over after the break. Hayden came down the track in a bid to loft Harbhajan over long-off, but the ball dipped and turned. As a result, the left-hander was well short of the pitch of the ball. But he went ahead with the shot anyway. Laxman ran in from long-off to take a comfortable catch. (136 for 1)
Hayden had scored 58 off 91 balls and a huge cheer by the Chennai crowd greeted his dismissal. Team India was finally making a game out of this.
The crowd was given all the more reason to cheer when Langer was dismissed two balls later without a run being added to the total.
Harbhajan changed his line of attack. He came back over the wicket and the ploy worked. The ball pitched in line with the leg-stump and turned across the batsman. Langer stretched forward in a bid to suppress the turn, but the ball took the edge and carried to first slip, where Dravid completed a neat catch. (136 for 2)
Langer scored 71 off 113 balls, including eight boundaries, and looked good for plenty more. Now Harbhajan had his tail up and was starting to make the ball talk. One would have expected Ganguly to press Kumble into the attack at once. Instead, Pathan came on from the other end.
Wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel had a torrid time behind the stumps and botched up several easy collections, though none were catches.
New batsmen Siimon Katich and Damien Martyn looked to consolidate. The runs were reduced to a trickle. It was an interesting period of play with both teams trying to get on top.
At the stroke of tea, Kumble claimed the wicket of Martyn. The right-hander pushed forward to a good length delivery but the ball bounced more than expected and went straight to Yuvraj at short-leg. (189 for 3)
Martyn scored 26 off 53 balls.
Australia were 189 for the loss of three wickets. Simon Katich was on 16. In 26.1 overs, Australia scored 78 runs and lost three wickets in the session.
Post-tea session
If the first session of the day was dominated by the Aussies, the second was an even contest as the Indians got back into the game by capturing three wickets. The third session would probably decide which team finished the day on top.
India made a very good start to the session when Kumble dismissed Darren Lehmann for a duck to reduce Australia to 191 for 4.
The left-hander, who averages 49 in Test cricket, walked off with disappointment writ large on his face. Few at the ground would have expected his wicket to be the start of a remarkable turnaround for the Indians.
Kumble and Harbhajan were at their inspired best. All the variations came into play and the bounce the duo got from the wicket helped them no end.
Things could have got worse for the Aussies had Yuvraj held on to an easy chance from Katich off Harbhajan. The batsman was then on 21 and Australia 200 for 4.
But Kumble was bowling like he used to at his peak. The batsmen played him with trepidation and every ball was treated with respect.
Clarke, 5 off 28 balls, was next to go; Kumble was the bowler again. The right-hander misread a googly from Kumble and was trapped plumb in front of the wicket.(204 for 5)
The procession had started; the Australian batsmen were walking back to the pavilion as quickly as they came in to bat. Gilchrist went next to go after adding just three runs to the total. He was caught by Yuvraj off Kumble, who was in the midst of a devastating spell. (210 for 6) The biggest difference between the Kumble we saw in Bangalore and the one today was the use of the googly, which he slipped through time and again to fox the batsmen.
Warne, 4, followed him. He tried to hit his way out of trouble but only succeeded in hitting a four before popping a return catch to the bowler. (216 for 7)
Jason Gillespie, 5, was caught at short-leg by Kaif off Kumble. (224 for 8)
The next dismissal was odd. Umpire David Sheperd thought the batsman, Michael Kasprowicz (4), was not out when he actually was. Kasprowicz walked even as the umpire shook his head while turning down Kumble's appeal. (228 for 9)
When Glenn McGrath was run-out seven runs later, it brought an end to a truly amazing collapse that was fashioned by Kumble and started by Harbhajan.
Australia were all out for 235 after being 189 for the loss of two wickets.
In 20.3 overs after tea, they scored 46 runs and lost six wickets. Australia's last seven batsmen were dismissed in single digits.
Kumble's spell after tea was an incredible 10.3-2-25-6. The Aussies had little idea of what was coming their way, but the collapse will inspire them no end.
India innings (28 for 1, 13 overs)
The plan was simple for both teams. India needed to get out in the middle and score enough runs to avoid batting again in the second innings. The Aussies, for their part, would have to dismiss the Indians quickly.
Yuvraj walked out to open the innings for the first time with Virender Sehwag. He averages 70.41 while opening the innings in domestic cricket but there is a big difference when opening in Test cricket. He realized that quickly, when he was dropped in the first over and then hit on the helmet off McGrath's bowling.
But, thereafter, he and Sehwag settled down and played sensibly. A few good shots by Sehwag and India were on their way. But that was what many thought till Shane Warne struck in the last over of the day when he claimed the wicket of Yuvraj (8) to equal Muthaih Muralitharan's world record 532 wickets in Test cricket.
With just two balls left for stumps, Pathan walked out as night-watchman. He was greeted by five men around the bat -- a silly mid-on, silly point, short-leg, one slip and one leg-slip but survived.
India ended the day on 28 for the loss of one wicket. Sehwag was unbeaten on 20, inclusive of three fours, while Pathan is yet to open his account.
India finished day one on top. After the first session, few would have predicted such an amazing fightback from them; even fewer would have expected an Australian collapse.
The wicket has a lot for spinners, and Warne could pose problems for the Indian batsmen. This Test is beautifully set up. A riveting second day's play is on the cards.
More from rediff