Jason Gillespie claimed two vital wickets and Australia headed toward its first test series victory on Indian soil for 35 years Friday as India's batting lineup crumbled for the second time in the third test match.
Set a victory target of 543, India was tottering at 84 for five after the collapse of its top order against Australia's pace attack on the fourth day.
PHOTO: AFP
Australia, leading 1-0 in the four-match series, is pushing for a series-clinching victory ahead of next week's fourth and final test. Bill Lawry's 1969 team was the last Australian XI to win a series in India.
At tea, opener Virender Sehwag was batting on 49 and Parthiv Patel was 21 not out.
Gillespie bowled opener Aakash Chopra (1) and stand-in skipper Rahul Dravid (2) before Glenn McGrath, playing in his 100th test, claimed Sachin Tendulkar (2) for his 450th dismissal.
Chopra had his middle stump uprooted and Dravid edged an inswinger on to the wickets as Gillespie claimed two for 16.
Tendulkar fended off a rising ball from McGrath straight into the hands of Damien Martyn at point, before paceman Michael Kasporwicz removed V.V.S. Laxman (2) and Mohammad Kaif (7) to reduce India to 37 for five.
The five batsmen managed to play just 52 deliveries between them.
Australia, which lead by 213 runs in the first innings, declared on 329 for five when Martyn was caught behind for 97 just before lunch.
Martyn missed a chance of scoring his third successive century. He had scored 104 in the second innings of the second test at Madras, and 114 in his first knock here.
Australia scored 398 in its first innings and then bundled India out for 185, but skipper Adam Gilchrist declined to enforce the follow on for the second time in this series in favor of setting a mammoth target on a pitch that may crumble on the fifth day.
Surviving a dropped catch by Sehwag off pace bowler Ajit Agarkar when he was on 85, Martyn shared a 148-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Michael Clarke, who hit a rapid 95-ball 73.
Resuming at the overnight score of 202 for three, Martyn and Clarke hammered the Indian attack to add 77 runs in the first hour.
Clarke lofted Agarkar for a six over mid-off and struck 11 boundaries before pulling a short delivery from leg-spinner Anil Kumble to Kaif at short mid-wicket. Clarke had scored 91 in the first innings.
Martyn perished as he tried to drive an outswinging delivery from pace bowler Zaheer Khan, only to nick it to wicketkeeper Patel.
Bangladesh versus New Zealand
Spinner Daniel Vettori claimed a match haul of 12 wickets as New Zealand claimed the second cricket test by an innings and 101 runs Friday and swept the series 2-0.
Bangladesh made 182 in its first innings before being sent in again and dismissed for 262 in its second. New Zealand had batted first and declared at 545 for six, with skipper Stephen Fleming scoring 202.
Vettori followed up his first innings 6-70 with another 6-wicket haul as Bangladesh was dismissed less than half an hour into the fourth day's opening session.
The left-arm spinner took the last two wickets, Mohammad Rafique (31) and Tapash Baishya (66) to finish with match figures of 12 for 170 runs in 60.4 overs.
"It was my duty to serve the team. My team expected a lot from me on this wicket and I'm happy to be able to serve accordingly," a delighted Vettori told reporters after the match.
Fellow spinner Paul Wiseman snared two second-innings wickets and Jacob Oram and James Franklin bagged one apiece.
Vettori, 25, was voted man-of-the series. He took eight wickets in last week's first test in Dhaka, where New Zealand won by an innings and 99 runs.
Vettori's fifth victim in Bangladesh's second innings here was Mohammad Rafique (31) who was caught Friday at short leg by Mathew Sinclair after adding just one to his overnight total.
He had Tapash Baishya (66) stumped by wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum to wrap up the Bangladesh innings at M.A. Aziz Stadium.
However, No. 10 batsman Baishya scored his second test 50 and this one off 36 balls -- the fastest ever test half-century by a Bangladeshi batsman. He surpassed Habibul Bashar's record 38-ball 50 against New Zealand in 2001.
Baishya's entertaining innings spanned eight overs and he stroked 10 boundaries and two sixes, spoiling the bowling figures of both Vettori and Paul wiseman. He scored all the runs in a 45-run last-wicket stand with Enamul Haque.
Bangladesh has so far played four test matches against New Zealand and lost all of them by an innings, the latest one by the largest margin.
Bangladesh is yet to register a test win, the latest loss was Bangladesh's 29th test defeat -- 19 of them by an innings -- in the 32 matches since becoming a full member of International Cricket Council in 2000.
Pakistan versus Sri Lanka
Imran Farhat and Younis Khan hit aggressive half centuries before lunch Friday as Pakistan forged a strong first innings reply to Sri Lanka in the second cricket test against. A 122-run second wicket stand between the pair took Pakistan to a confident 136 for two during a two and a half hour session on the second day, extended because of Friday prayers in this mainly Muslim country.
Younis, playing his first test in 13 months, was batting on a confident 61 while Farhat was trapped lbw by Chaminda Vaas two overs before the break after hitting 12 attractive boundaries in his 72 on the second day.
Pakistan now trails Sri Lanka by 72 runs after medium fast bowler Abdul Razzaq a claimed career-best 5-35 on the first day to dismiss the tourists for 208.
Younis and Farhat put on century stand with a healthy run-rate of nearly four runs per over after Yasir Hameed fell in seamer Farveez Maharoof's second over of the innings.
Farhat, an attractive left-handed strokeplayer, built his innings with some well timed cover drives and square cuts, and raised his half century with 10 boundaries when he pulled Dilhara Fernando in front of square for four.
Younis, who last played against Bangladesh at Multan in 2003, followed Farhat to the fifty-run mark and completed his half century off 65 balls, including five boundaries.
Pakistan lost opener Hameed in the fourth over of the innings when Maharoof got a thin edge to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara, who deputized for Romesh Kaluwitharana.
Kaluwitharana, the regular Sri Lankan test wicketkeeper, was injured when Razzaq's short delivery hit him hard on his right hand Thursday evening and did not take the field Friday.
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