Australia reached 2-74, an overall lead of 144 over India, at tea on day four of the first Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
Having frustrated the Australians with the bat, India's bowling attack took the initiative with the ball, restricting the tourists to 2-74 and an overall lead of 144 at tea on day four of the first Test.
Dangerous spells by Zaheer Khan (1-24), Ishant Sharma (1-11) and an unlucky one from Harbhajan Singh (0-24) kept Australia in check in Bangalore, allowing them to add only 65 runs for the session when quick scoring was needed.
Opener Simon Katich survived, but that was about all, in battling to 21 not out from 100 deliveries -- taking until his 97th ball to strike a boundary.
Although the pitch is becoming more difficult every over, Ricky Ponting's team will need a decent length of time in the field to have a chance of bowling the Indians out on the final day, particularly now that paceman Stuart Clark is nursing an elbow injury after being unable to bowl this morning.
India also have an injury concern, with captain Anil Kumble off the field for more than 90 minutes at the start of the innings while he received treatment for what is thought to be a shoulder problem.
Australian efforts to wrap up the Indian tail in a hurry were delayed for 85 minutes by Zaheer, whose unbeaten 57 took the Indians to 360 in reply to the tourists' 430, far more than they might have imagined reaching from the mire of 7-234.
Resuming at 8-313, Zaheer added 30 with his captain before allrounder Shane Watson intervened to have Kumble lbw to an inducker for five.
Michael Clarke (2-38) then yorked last man Ishant Sharma for six.
Playing only his fourth Test and first since November 2005, Watson could be well pleased with figures of 3-45, one more wicket than he had managed in his previous three appearances combined.
Brett Lee (1-64) very nearly had a wicket with the first ball of the day when his yorker struck Zaheer on the boot and was judged to be tailing narrowly down the legside.
At the other end Mitchell Johnson (4-70) followed up on yesterday's fine display by repeatedly beating Kumble outside off stump, but the Indian captain somehow managed to survive for long enough to allow Zaheer to pass 50.
On reaching the milestone he offered a clenched fist to the crowd, clearly still fired up after last night's verbal confrontation with Australian 'keeper Brad Haddin.
A difficult innings for Haddin was made worse by the fact that his 23 byes, admittedly on a vexing surface for any stumper, were the most conceded by an Australian against India.
When the Australians batted, Matthew Hayden's ordinary match concluded when he was lbw for 13, half-forward to a Zaheer inswinger.
Ponting (17) then fought an intriguing duel with Harbhajan, surviving as much through luck as skill, until he succumbed to some smart bowling by Sharma, who teased Ponting into flicking a slower ball to short midwicket.
Katich's stolid occupation could have ended on five, when he squeezed a difficult chance to short leg Gautam Gambhir from Harbhajan's bowling.
Scoreboard at tea on the fourth day of the first Test between India and Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.-
Australia 1st Innings 430
India 1st Innings 360
Australia 2nd Innings
M HAYDEN lbw b Zaheer Khan 13
S KATICH not out21
R PONTING c VVS Laxman b Ishant Sharma 17
M HUSSEY not out12
Sundries (4b 6lb 1nb) 11
Two wickets for 74
Fall: 21 (Hayden), 49 (Ponting).
Bowling: Zaheer Khan 12-4-24-1 (1nb), Ishant Sharma 7-2-11-1, Harbhajan Singh 12-2-24-0, Virender Sehwag 2-0-5-0.
Batting time: 148 mins. Overs: 33.
Scoreboard at lunch on the fourth day of the first Test between India and Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.-
Australia 1st Innings 430
India 1st Innings 360
Australia 2nd Innings
M HAYDEN not out3
S KATICH not out5
Sundries (1nb) 1
No wicket for9
Bowling: Zaheer Khan 3-1-5-0 (1nb), Ishant Sharma 2-1-4-0, Harbhajan Singh 1-1-0-0.
Batting time: 26 mins. Overs: 6.
Innings board on the fourth day of the first Test between India and Australia at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.-
Australia 1st Innings 430
India 1st Innings
GAUTAM GAMBHIR lbw b Lee 21
VIRENDER SEHWAG c Hayden b Johnson45
RAHUL DRAVID lbw b Watson51
SACHIN TENDULKAR c White b Johnson13
VVS LAXMAN c Haddin b Johnson0
SOURAV GANGULY lbw b Johnson47
MAHENDRA DHONI b M Clarke 9
HARBHAJAN SINGH c Haddin b Watson 54
ZAHEER KHAN not out57
ANIL KUMBLE lbw b Watson 5
ISHANT SHARMA b Clarke 6
Sundries (23b 23lb 6nb) 52
Total 360
Fall: 70 (Gambhir), 76 (Sehwag), 94 (Tendulkar), 106 (Laxman), 155 (Dravid), 195 (Dhoni), 232 (Ganguly), 312 (Harbhajan), 343 (Kumble), 360 (Sharma).
Bowling: B Lee 26-6-64-1 (2nb), S Clark 17-3-58-0 (1nb), M Johnson 27-4-70-4, S Watson 19-4-45-3 (3nb), C White 13-2-39-0, M Clarke 17-2-38-2.
Batting time: 552 mins. Overs: 119.