India are in control of the second Test against Australia, who made 237 for nine declared in Hyderabad.
Part-time spinner Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets, while in his second Test Bhuvneshwar Kumar also took three, with Michael Clarke’s 91 keeping the Australian innings together.
The visitors once again turned to their skipper after slumping to 63 for four, with the 31-year-old putting on 145 with Matthew Wade for the fifth wicket.
However after Wade went for 62, the lower order failed to fire as Australia lost their final four wickets for just 29 runs.
And with little chance of numbers 10 and 11 James Pattinson and Xavier Doherty adding to the total Clarke brought them in so his bowlers could take advantage of conditions for the final three overs of the day.
However India were untroubled and finished five without loss.
Australia made two changes from the side which lost the opening match in Chennai with Glenn Maxwell making his Test debut coming in for Mitchell Starc, while Xavier Doherty replaced Nathan Lyon. The home side were unchanged.
After the visitors won the toss, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled David Warner (six) with a delivery which cut back into the left-hander, then trapped Ed Cowan (four) lbw with a ball which may have pitched outside leg stump.
That left Australia 15 for two, with Phil Hughes and Shane Watson at the crease.
The pair effected a mini-recovery, with the left hander playing some eye-catching late drives off the back foot, but Watson (23) then fell lbw attempting to pull a ball which kept a little low with the score on 57.
Hughes (19) followed, caught behind at the second attempt by Mahendra Singh Dhoni off the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin, before Wade and Clarke began the Australian recovery.
Clarke looked comfortable at the crease, with a well-placed clip for four between two fielders indicative of his current form.
Wade was less fluid, but equally determined, digging in at one end while his skipper totted up the runs at the other as they moved Australia to 129 for four midway through the afternoon session.
Wade’s confidence grew and when new bowler Jadeja came on to bowl, the wicketkeeper had no problem in hitting him back over his head for four.
After facing 95 balls, Clarke brought up his 26th Test half century with a single in the 48th over, edging his side closer towards 150.
On 52 India missed their best opportunity to dismiss Clarke as the skipper inside edged on his pad with the ball dropping to a diving Cheteshwar Pujara who got his fingers under the ball, but could not hang on.
Wade reached his half-century in the 55th over as Australia batted themselves back into the game.
Australia started the third session much as they ended the second, as the duo moved the score past 200 in the 65th over.
They could add just eight however before the hosts made a much-needed breakthrough. Wade cut one which was possibly too close to his body and was caught by Kumar at point for a 116-ball 62.
A sixth wicket did fall when Jadeja got one to turn away from Moises Henriques, who, playing to leg, missed the ball completely as it clipped the top of the stumps.
At 217 for six and with debutant Maxwell at the crease, the pressure once again was on Clarke.
He continued to bat sensibly, but his partner at the other end would make just 13 before he edged to Dhoni behind the stumps.
Peter Siddle was then soon walking back to the pavilion as he was caught on the crease by a low one from Harbhajan Singh for a 14-ball duck, leaving the visitors 236 for eight.
Clarke finally departed looking to up the rate with the tail, swinging across the line to Jadeja whose delivery kept low and hit the stumps.
India had little to worry about for the final three overs, with a Virender Sehwag boundary through gully off Siddle the highlight.
AUSTRALIA 1st innings 237
INDIA 1st innings 5
Match details
Toss Australia, who chose to bat
Test debut GJ Maxwell (Australia)
Player of the match tba
Umpires HDPK Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and M Erasmus (South Africa)
TV umpire S Ravi
Match referee BC Broad (England)
Reserve umpire S Das
