Nathan Lyon led Australia’s spin charge Saturday with five wickets to leave India in deep trouble on 179-7 at tea after Virat Kohli fell to a controversial lbw during day two of the second Test.
Axar Patel, on a counter-attacking 28, and Ravichandran Ashwin, on 11, were batting at the break with the hosts still trailing Australia by 84 runs on a turning New Delhi pitch.
Lyon completed his 22nd Test five-wicket haul after sending back Srikar Bharat but it was debutant Matthew Kuhnemann’s earlier dismissal of Kohli, for 44, that hurt India.
Kohli was called out lbw by the umpire and a review left it too close to call on replays whether the ball hit the bat or pad first, before tracking suggested a strike on leg stump.
Third umpire Richard Illingworth upheld the on-field decision, much to the surprise of Kohli, who went back dejected and was seen animated while watching replays in the pavilion.
Kohli had resisted the Australian spinners until his departure and put on a key fifth-wicket stand with Ravindra Jadeja, who fell to Todd Murphy for 26.
The tourists overcame an early blow when a concussion ruled opener David Warner out of the match following a hit on the head in his day one knock of 15. Matt Renshaw is his substitute.
Australia burned two of their reviews in the morning when overnight batsmen Rohit Sharma, who made 32 after resuming on 13, and KL Rahul initially stood firm against the opposition attack.
But Lyon turned on the heat in his second over of the day to trap lbw a struggling Rahul, under fire for his poor Test form of late, for 17.
He then bowled Rohit with a quicker delivery that rattled the captain’s stumps and got Cheteshwar Pujara out lbw for a duck in the batsman’s landmark 100th Test.
India were soon tottering at 66-4 when Lyon got Shreyas Iyer caught at short leg for four with a stunning grab from Peter Handscomb.
Australia, who lost the opener of the four-match series, were bowled out for 263 on Friday after electing to bat first.