Anil Kumble claimed three wickets for 53 runs to have Australia with their backs to the wall at the end of day 3 in the second Test in Chennai on Saturday.
The ace leg spinner claimed the vital wickets of Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist to have the Aussies reeling at 150 for four wickets in their second innings at stumps.
Damien Martyn (19 not out) and night-watchman Jason Gillespie, still to open his account, were at the crease.
Earlier, India were all out for 376 in the first innings shortly after lunch.
Mohammad Kaif (64) and Parthiv Patel (54) batted resolutely to give India a 141-run lead, which could prove decisive on the spin-friendly Chepauk pitch.
Australia leg spinner Shane Warne grabbed six wickets to claim his first five-wicket haul against India in Tests.
The ace leg spinner, who captured the world record for highest Test wickets on Friday, took two wickets in successive overs for figures of six for 125 and swelled his career total to 537 Test wickets.
Morning session: [30 overs, 64 runs, 1 wicket (India: 363-7 in 130 overs) ]
Before the start of the second Test Australia skipper Adam Gilchrist had said that the team cannot afford to give ground in the first innings. Now that they had, how would they respond?
Every run the Indians added to their total made the task harder for the visitors. Kaif and Patel held to the keys to an Indian victory and for much of the morning session the duo did little wrong. The pair realized that as far as possible it would be best not to bat again.
During the first hour, Gilchrist tried all his frontline bowlers but the vital breakthrough eluded the Aussies. India scored 31 runs in 16 oves during that period.
As vital as runs were, it was important for the Indians to keep the Aussies out in the sun for as long as possible. The heat and humidity would sap their energy.
Late on Day 2, Parthiv -- playing for stumps -- regularly let the ball go through to the keeper. Warne, positioned in the slips, had walked up to him and asked him to use his bat more often.
Today, the 19-year-old got his revenge. First it was Glenn McGrath who suffered as the left-hander drove him through mid-wicket for four and then followed it up with a cover drive.
Meanwhile, Kaif batted with assurance and used his feet at every given opportunity against Warne. The right-hander, playing in only his fifth Test and first since 2001, reached his fifty off 130 balls, which was inclusive of five boundaries.
Patel's fifty, off 117 balls, came up in the next over, which was from Warne. The over also contained an exquisite back foot pull for four and another four before Parthiv gloved a ball to Gilchrist and walked without waiting for umpire David Sheperd to raise his finger.
Warne moved up to 535 wickets. (335 for 7)
India's lead at this stage was 100. Kaif and Partiv (54 off 121 balls) put on 102 runs in 169 minutes for the sixth wicket.
The Indian tail showed it certainly could hold its own in the middle. It is fair to say that the later batsmen displayed better application than most in the top order.
Kumble came and continued the good work. In fact, one his strokes was the shot of the morning. A ball from Kasprowicz pitched outside the off-stump, and Kumble planted his front foot down the wicket and, with perfect balance, drove it to the cover boundary in copybook style. It is an altogether different matter that he was beaten outside the off-stump the very next ball.
When lunch was called, India were 363 for the loss of seven wickets, with Kaif going strong on 60 and Kumble on 17.
Warne claimed the only wicket to fall in the session.
In 30 overs, India scored 72 runs and lost just one wicket.
Post-lunch session [22.3 overs, 66 runs, 3 wickets (Australia: 53-0 in 18 overs) ]
India's innings was over 24 minutes after lunch. The hosts scored 376 and will be hoping they did enough to emerge victorious after gaining a lead of 141 runs on a wicket affording turn and bounce to the slower bowlers.
The end came quickly as it was Kumble and Harbhajan Singh who walked out to take guard after the break. Kaif was suffering from severe cramps and was unable to take the field.
Kumble didn't survive long; he played all around a full length delivery from Warne and was clean bowled after scoring 20 off 48 balls. (369 for 8)
It was Warne's 28th five-wicket haul in Test cricket and only Muttiah Muralitharan and Richard Hadlee have taken more five-fors in the history of the game.
Harbhajan was out in Warne's next over after scoring 5. (372 for 9)
Kaif walked out to bat with Yuvraj as runner. He hit a four off the first ball he faced but was then run-out in the most unusual manner. He reverse-swept Warne to short third-man and instinctively set off for a single, forgetting that he had a runner. However, after taking a few steps he pulled up and collapsed on the pitch writhing in agony.
Damien Martyn picked the ball and threw it to Gilchrist, who took off the bails and appealed. The umpires had no option but to adjudge Kaif out. He scored 64 and India were all out for 376.
Australia innings (53 runs, 18 overs)
The Aussies had their task cut out on a wicket that is expected to get tougher for batting as the match progresses.
In Hayden and Langer they have one of the best opening pairs in the game. India had to find a way to get the two left-handers out to entertain hopes of winning. They had a brilliant opportunity to do so, but Hayden was dropped by Patel even before he opened his account. Australia had only one run on the board at that stage.
Hayden was dropped again on 21 by Patel; this time it was off Kumble, who was in his first over of the Aussie innings.
For all his brilliance with the bat in recent matches, Patel's glove work continues to be sloppy. You just cannot give two chances to a man who scored 203 the last time he played in Chennai. But India did and by the 16th over Australia scored 50 runs, and Hayden was starting to find his feet.
When tea was called, Australia were 53, with Langer on 19 and Hayden on 28.
Post-tea session [32 overs, 97 runs, 4 wickets (Australia: 150-4 in 50 overs) ]
One ball into the tea session and Kumble struck. The Indians were celebrating. Langer tried to drive against a ball that bounced more than he expected and edged it to Rahul Dravid, who took a good catch at first slip. (53 for 1)
Langer scored 19; his dismissal heralded the arrival of Gilchrist.
Australia's skipper promoted himself to number three, ahead of Simon Katich. An all-out assault must have been on his mind. Having seen Sehwag bat earlier he must have felt attack is the best policy under the circumstances.
After two lives to his name, Hayden was third time unlucky. The left-hander picked the singles with sublime ease and along with Gilchrist did well to steal a single off every ball in one Kumble over. It forced Ganguly to take Laxman out from silly point and position him at mid-wicket. Off the very next ball, Hayden, 39, went for the sweep and top-edged the ball straight down Laxman's throat to give the leg-spinner his ninth wicket of the match. (76 for 2)
Katich walked in next and looked to settle down. Meanwhile, Gilchrist went for his shots but did not try anything extravagant.
Kumble's first spell, which lasted 11 overs, came to an end; he conceded 40 runs and took two wickets.
As the proceedings entered the last hour of the day, Australia still needed 21 runs to draw abreast with India.
Katich and Gilchrist put on 44 runs without any hiccups. The Indians appeared listless, almost bored with the proceedings. But then Ganguly introduced Zaheer back into the attack. For the first time in the series, the left-armer bowled with the pace and venom he is actually capable of. His first spell was impressive; now he struck a vital blow, trapping Katich (9) leg-before wicket, to reduce Australia to 121 for 3.
He did not get any more wickets in the spell, which had figures of 5-2-4-1, but he had done his job.
Gilchrist looked the most assured of the Aussies and many felt his wicket would be the key to India's victory charge.
Kumble, who returned to the attack following Martyn's arrival at the wicket, got it. He bowled the Aussie skipper around his legs with a superb googly that pitched way outside the leg stump and turned to hit the stumps. (145 for 4)
Australia were only four runs ahead and the wicket gave Kumble his sixth ten-wicket haul in a match.
Gillespie walked in as night-watchman with nine balls left to play in the day. They were successfully negotiated and Australia ended day 3 on 150 for the loss of four wickets, a lead of nine runs.
Gillespie, yet to open his account, and Martyn, on 19, inclusive of two boundaries, were holding fort.
Australia still has recognized batsmen to come in Darren Lehmann and Michael Clarke. Unless one of them plays a knock of a lifetime, it is hard to prevent the series from moving to Nagpur at one Test apiece.
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