Nathan Lyon took 5-94, but India managed to eke out a four-run lead by stumps, ending the the second day of the fourth test against Australia in Delhi on Saturday on 266 for eight.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar had 10 at the end, having lost partner Ravichandran Ashwin to Lyon the final ball before stumps, caught on the crease for 12.
Lyon bowled unchanged for 21 overs, building pressure, with the quicks alternating from the other end, never letting up.
The hosts failed to build on the excellent start from their openers, and, given that they have to bat last on this track, they will need their last two wickets to build a substantial lead.
Resuming the day on 231 for eight, Australia were dismissed for 262 within the first hour of play, but not before Peter Siddle brought up his maiden test fifty three deliveries into the day.
Four overs later, however, Siddle defended to one that didn’t ‘t turn as much as he expected, losing his off-stump for 51 and giving Ashwin the ninth five-wicket haul of his short career of 16 tests.
Siddle withstood the Indian bowlers for 136 deliveries and found the boundary four times.
Pragyan Ojha put an end to Australia’s resistance with his first wicket of the innings, as James Pattinson edged the arm ball to Virat Kohli in the slips, becoming Ojha’s 100th test victim in his 22nd test.
Only two other Indian bowlers have been quicker to 100 test scalps, Erapalli Prasanna and Anil Kumble.
With his 5-57, Ashwin has completed four five-wicket hauls in this series, equalling the India record of Subhash Gupte (1955/56), Bhagwath Chandrasekhar (1972/73) & Harbhajan Singh (2000/01).
India batted bravely during an intense afternoon session, reaching tea on 135 for two.
Openers Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay batted superbly on an ailing track, adding 108 runs for the first wicket, before Lyon struck, removing Pujara (52) and Virat Kohli (one) within the space of six runs.
Shortly after tea, Murali Vijay (57) was sent back as a ball from Peter Siddle exploded off a crack – he tried to fend it off but gloved an easy catch to Matthew Wade behind the stumps.
Ajinkya Rahane did not last long, working Lyon around the corner into the hands of Steve Smith at backward short leg.
Sachin Tendulkar survived a massive appeal when he had just one run to his name. A Lyon delivery pitched in line and hit Tendulkar in front of middle stump, replays suggesting that umpire Richard Kettleborough was more than generous to the Little Master.
Lyon got his man in the end, when he rapped Tendulkar on the back foot inside the crease – a delivery very similar to the one that was turned down earlier – for 32.
Ravindra Jadeja (43) was on the receiving end of another poor umpiring decision, given out leg before while padding up to Glenn Maxwell’s second delivery, but the ball would probably have missed another set of stumps.
SCOREBOARD
Australia 1st innings
EJM Cowan b Ashwin 38
DA Warner c Kohli b Sharma 0
PJ Hughes b Sharma 45
SR Watson st Dhoni b Jadeja 17
SPD Smith c Rahane b Ashwin 46
MS Wade c Vijay b Ashwin 2
GJ Maxwell c Sharma b Jadeja 10
MG Johnson b Ashwin 3
PM Siddle b Ashwin 51
JL Pattinson c Kohli b Ojha 30
NM Lyon not out 8
Extras (b 5, lb 7) 12
Total (10 wickets; 112.1 overs) 262
Bowling: Kumar-9-1-43-0, Sharma-14-3-35-2, Ashwin-34-18-57-5, Ojha-26.1-6-75-1, Jadeja-29-8-40-2
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Warner, 1.4 ov); 2-71 (Hughes, 20 ov); 3-106 (Cowan, 32 ov); 4-115 (Watson, 38.5 ov); 5-117 (Wade, 40.4 ov); 6-129 (Maxwell, 46.2 ov); 7-136 (Johnson, 53 ov); 8-189 (Smith, 81.2 ov); 9-243 (Siddle, 102.1 ov); 10-262 (Pattinson, 112.1 ov)
India 1st innings
M Vijay c Wade b Siddle 57
CA Pujara b Lyon 52
V Kohli lbw b Lyon 1
SR Tendulkar lbw b Lyon 32
AM Rahane c Smith b Lyon 7
MS Dhoni c Watson b Pattinson 24
RA Jadeja lbw b Maxwell 43
R Ashwin lbw b Lyon 12
B Kumar not out 10
Yet to bat: PP Ojha, I Sharma
Extras (b 12, lb 16) 28
Total (8 wickets; 68.1 overs) 266
Fall of wickets: 1-108 (Pujara, 25.1 ov); 2-114 (Kohli, 27.5 ov); 3-148 (Vijay, 40.4 ov); 4-165 (Rahane, 45.4 ov); 5-180 (Tendulkar, 47.5 ov); 6-210 (Dhoni, 52.5 ov); 7-254 (Jadeja, 63.2 ov); 8-266 (Ashwin, 68.1 ov)
Toss: Australia elected to bat
Umpires: RA Kettleborough, Aleem Dar
Third-umpire: S Ravi
Referee: RS Madugalle
Bowling: Johnson-17-3-44-0, Pattinson-14-1-54-1, Siddle-12-3-38-1, Lyon-22.1-3-94-5, Maxwell-3-0-8-1
