Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir started off in blazing fashion in the second innings to put India firmly in the driver's seat at close on day three of the second Test in Mohali on Sunday.
At stumps, the hosts were 100 for no loss, an overall lead of 301 runs with all their 10 second innings wickets intact.
Sehwag (53 not out) and Gambhir (46 not out) were at the crease and doing everthing possible to increase the visitor's cup of woes.Sehwag's innings was his 15th half-century in Tests and was replete with six boundaries while Gambhir was more composed. His knock was inclusive of four boundaries.
With two days left, India seem well on their way to take a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
Morning Session:
The session started with Amit Mishra quietly bowling the last ball of the 41st over-- the second day's play had ended with the dismissal of Michael Clarke (23) of the fifth ball.
A stuck sightscreen caused a six-minute delay and gave the Aussies some time to rethink their strategy.
Hussey soon reached his 10th half century in Tests, with a couple off Sharma. The southpaw now has 231 in three runs in this series and arguably looks the best batsman on show.
He lived dangerously in the next ball flashing his blade at an outgoing delivery but the ball dropped just short of Rahul Dravid at first slip and found its way to the boundary.
But his luck ran out in the next ball. An encore of the previous delivery, but the difference laid in the result. While the first one had yielded a boundary, the second produced a wicket. Hussey offering a routine catch to Dhoni and the latter accepting it with gratitude.
Australia 130 for five, still 139 runs short of follow on and with only the tail left to wag.
Hussey's wicket was always going to be crucial to their fortunes and to their utter dismay they lost it with just 28 runs added to their overnight score. The left-hander hit seven boundaries in his 119-ball knock.
A few overs later, and with 16 runs added to their total, Harbhajan Singh got drift, flight and a wicket to boot-- stumper Brad Haddin (9) cleaned up. And when Cameron White (5) was bowled by a gem of a delivery from Mishra, Australia was tottering at 167 for seven.
Shane Watson (32 not out) and Brett Lee (5 not out) ensured there was no further damage before lunch.
Post-Lunch Session:
Watson had had an excellent season in the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) and that experience certainly helped him in the face of adversity.
Also the fact that he was making a comeback into the Test team after a three-year absence-- he had last played a Test in 2005-- meant he was determined to not let go of the opportunity. And the fact that he had got some runs (41) in the second innings of the Bangalore Test also gave his confidence a huge boost.
The above factors combined to provide the elixir that Australia needed.
Watson held fort at one end and to his fortune, found an able ally in the form of Lee, himself a Kings XI Punjab player in the IPL.
The 27-year-old soon reached a maiden Test half century and more importantly, put on a crucial 77-run partnership with Brett Lee (35). A partnership that the visitors desperately needed and a partnership that gave their innings the stability it desperately needed.
Lee perished to Harbhajan Singh (caught at slip). His patient 96-ball innings was laced with six well-timed boundaries.
The second session belonged to Australia. They scored 75 runs in 27 overs and lost just a single wicket.
It was for the first time since the second session on the opening day that Australia looked to have had the upper hand over India in the context of this Test match.
Post-tea Session:
Gambhir survived a huge appeal by Brett Lee in the first ball of the Indian second innings. But thereafter, it was struggle for the Australian bowlers as the Indian openers wrecked havoc with an unbroken 100-run partnership for the opening wicket.
Earlier, the Australians fell short of the Indian target in their first essay. If their resolute defence had given them any hope before tea, the final session brought them face-to-face with despair again.
Australia were dismissed for 268, just two runs short of avoiding the follow-on. However, much to their relief India did not enforce the same and opted to go on with their second innings, probably keeping the nature of the wicket in mind.
Shane Watson's long vigil at the crease was finally ended by debutant Amit Mishra. The 27-year-old scored 78, an innings that contained 10 boundaries and a huge six.
Mitchell Johnson (9 not out) raised hopes of avoiding a follow on with a huge six of Harbhajan Singh. However, Mishra had debutant Peter Siddle (0) stumped by Dhoni to end the visitor's innings at 268.
Siddle's wicket ensured a memorable day for Mishra. The Delhi leg-spinner joined the elite list of just five Indians bowlers to have taken five wickets or more on their?Test debut, and the third instance it has happened against Australia.