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BANGALORE, Oct 9: World champions Australia were on the brink of a massive victory in the first cricket Test against India after destroying the hosts' batting again on Saturday.
India, set an improbable target of 457, collapsed to 19for four in their second innings before ending the fourth day's play on a precarious 105 for six wickets.
Leg-spinner Shane Warne claimed two for 60 to take his overall career tally to 531 wickets, one short of Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan's world record of 532. But it was premier fast bowler Glenn McGrath who broke India's back with brilliant figures of two for nine from 12 overs, of which eight were maidens.
The tourists, aiming to win their first series on Indian soil since 1969, will return for the final day's play on Sunday needing four wickets to grab a 1-0 lead in the four-match rubber.
Vice-captain Rahul Dravid was the lone Indian to offer resistence with an unbeaten 47. Irfan Pathan kept him company at close on seven.
McGrath began the destruction with the unfortunate dismissal of Virender Sehwag, who was given out leg-before by New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden despite getting a thick inside edge off the bat. But there was no doubt about the verdict earned in the next over by Jason Gillespie who caught Akash Chopra plumb in front of the wicket with an inswinger.
Captain Sourav Ganguly compounded India's woes when he charged down the wicket after playing McGrath to mid-on and was stranded at the same end as his deputy Dravid.
Leg-spinner Warne silenced some 30,000 home fans at the Chinnaswamy stadium by trapping Venkatsai Laxman leg-before with his first delivery to reduce India to 19-4.
Yuvraj Singh helped Dravid add 62 for the fifth wicket before he was caught behind off McGrath for 27.
Warne also accounted for Parthiv Patel before Pathan and Dravid saw out the day.
India, who were shot out for 246 in the first innings, were never seriously in the hunt on a wearing wicket assisting turn and bounce.
The highest any team has scored in the fourth innings to win a Test on Indian soil is 276-5 which the Viv Richards-led West Indies made in New Delhi during the 1987-88 season.
Earlier, Australia were bowled out for 228 in their second innings 40 minutes after lunch with Harbhajan Singh claiming 6-78, his 13th five-figure haul.
The off-spinner, who took 32 wickets in three Tests during Australia's last visit here in 2001, finished with 11 wickets in his first Test since finger surgery last December.
Harbhajan has now taken 10 or more wickets three times in 37 Tests, all of them against Australia.
Scoreboard
Australia (1st innings): 474 (J. Langer 52, S. Katich 81, M. Clarke 151, A. Gilchrist 104, H. Singh 5-146, A. Kumble 3-157)
India (1st innings): 246 (S. Ganguly 45, P. Patel 46, G. McGrath 4-55, J. Gillespie 2-63, S. Warne 2-78, M. Kasprowicz 2-43)
Australia (2nd innings) (overnight 127-4):
J. Langer lbw b Pathan 0
M. Hayden run out 30
S. Katich c Dravid b Kumble 39
D. Martyn c sub (Kaif) b Harbhajan 45
D. Lehmann c Chopra b Harbhajan 14
M. Clarke c Chopra b Harbhajan 17
A. Gilchrist c Chopra b Kumble 26
S. Warne c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 31
J. Gillespie c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 8
M. Kasprowicz c Dravid b Harbhajan 8
G. McGrath not out 3
Extras: (b2, lb1, nb3, w1) 7
Total: (78.1 overs) 228
Fall of wkts: 1-0, 2-65, 3-86, 4-104, 5-146, 6-167, 7-204, 8-216, 9-217
Bowling: Pathan 12-2-38-1, Zaheer 13-1-45-0, Harbhajan 30.1-5-78-6, Kumble 23-4-64-2
India (2nd innings):
A. Chopra lbw b Gillespie 5
V. Sehwag lbw b McGrath 0
R. Dravid not out 47
S. Ganguly run out 5
V. Laxman lbw b Warne 3
Y. Singh c Gilchrist b McGrath 27
P. Patel lbw b Warne 4
Irfan Pathan not out 7
Extras: (b2, lb4, nb1) 7
Total (for six wickets, 49 overs)) 105
Fall of wkts: 1-1, 2-7, 3-12, 4-19, 5-81, 6-86
Bowling: McGrath 12-8-9-2, Gillespie 10-4-18-1, Kasprowicz 6-1-12-0, Warne 19-4-60-2, Lehmann 2-2-0-0
Umpires: Steve Bucknor (WIS) and Billy Bowden (NZL)
TV umpire: Avi Jayaprakash (IND)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI).-Agencies
