18 October 2004	Monday	03 Ramazan 1425

CHENNAI, Oct 17: Damien Martyn masterminded Australia's stirring fightback on Sunday to leave the second cricket Test against India poised for a knife-edge finish.

Martyn compiled 104 as Australia, 141 runs behind on the first innings, recovered from an overnight score of 150-4 to post 369 in their second knock on the fourth day.

India, set a victory target of 229 to draw level in the four-match series, went to stumps on 19-0 with Virender Sehwag on 12 and Yuvraj Singh on seven.

The rivals return on the fifth and final day on Monday aware that all four results, including a tie, are possible on the slow, but wearing, wicket.

No team has successfully chased so many runs at the Chepauk. The highest fourth innings total to win a Test at this venue was India's 155-8 against Australia in the previous series in 2001.

"We have posted a score anyway and going by stats it is going to be tough to chase," said Martyn.

"History shows it is always tough to go for runs on the last day. If we can get one or two wickets in the first hour then India will be on the backfoot. "And Warnie (Shane Warne) is a massive thing for us in any Test match. He will be the key."

Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was confident his side can win. "If it has not happened in the past, it does not mean it can't be done," Ganguly said.

"Moreover this pitch is much slower than the one three years ago when we struggled to get to 155.

"I just want the batters to go there and play their natural game. They are used to the pressures of a Test match. It is time to come good."

A remarkable battle between bat and ball on Sunday left both teams with an even chance to secure victory.

The overnight pair of Martyn and nightwatchman Jason Gillespie batted till three overs before tea, defying the Indians for 56 overs to add 139 for the fifth wicket.

Gillespie, sent in late on Saturday evening after the fall of captain Adam Gilchrist, stood his ground gallantly for more than four hours to make 26.

The duo took the score to 230-4 by lunch and then added 54 runs in the afternoon session to fashion Australia's batting revival. Martyn, who reached his century with a six off Anil Kumble, also hit 11 fours.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh broke through just before tea when he removed both Martyn and Gillespie in the space of four deliveries to catches by Rahul Dravid in the slips.

Ganguly rotated his bowlers under the hot sun and even brought himself on for three overs, but failed to get the break till Harbhajan's late strikes.

Leg-spinner Kumble went wicketless for 21 overs on his 34th birthday Sunday before removing Darren Lehmann and Shane Warne in three balls for yet another five-wicket haul.

Kumble, who took his 400th wicket in the first Test, followed his 7-48 in the first innings here with 6-133 in the second to finish with 10 or more wickets in a match for the sixth time.

India's young wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel, whose shoddy work behind the stumps has attracted widespread criticism, continued to flounder on Sunday.

For the second time in the match, Patel gave Australia five penalty runs when the ball slipped out of his gloves and hit the helmet lying on the ground behind him.

The 19-year-old, playing in his 18th Test, has dropped three catches in the match so far, but hit a half-century to lift India to a 141-run first innings lead. Patel missed stumping Michael Clarke when the batsman was on five.

Scoreboard

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 235 (J.L. Langer 71, M.L. Hayden 58; A. Kumble 7-48).

INDIA (1st Innings) 376 (V. Sehwag 155, Mohammad Kaif 64, P.A. Patel 54; S.K. Warne 6-125).

AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings, overnight 150-4):

J.L. Langer c Dravid b Kumble 19

M.L. Hayden c Laxman b Kumble 39

A.C. Gilchrist b Kumble 49

S.M. Katich lbw b Zaheer 9

D.R. Martyn c Dravid b Harbhajan 104

J.N. Gillespie c Dravid b Harbhajan 26

M.J. Clarke not out 39

D.S. Lehmann c Patel b Kumble 31

S.K. Warne c Laxman b Kumble 0

M.S. Kasprowicz lbw b Kumble 5

G.D. McGrath b Harbhajan 2

EXTRAS (B-19, LB-15, W-3, NB-5, PEN-5) 46

TOTAL (all out, 133.5 overs) 369

FALL OF WKTS: 1-53, 2-76, 3-121, 4-145, 5-284, 6-285, 7-347, 8-347, 9-364.

BOWLING: Irfan Pathan 12-3-39-0 (3w); Zaheer Khan 22-6-36-1 (2nb); Harbhajan Singh 46.5-12-108-3; Kumble 47-7-133-6 (2nb); Sehwag 1-0-5-0; Yuvraj Singh 2-0-7-0; Ganguly 3-1-2-0.

INDIA (2nd Innings):

Yuvraj Singh not out 7

V. Sehwag not out 12

EXTRAS 0

TOTAL (for no wkt, 3 overs) 19

BOWLING (to-date): McGrath 2-0-18-0; Gillespie 1-0-1-0.-Agencies