Indians parked perfectly with tail-lights on

Anil Kumble (3-53) then cast his spell on the Australians to leave them battling for survival in this contest.

As has been the pattern of this duel, the morning session continued to sway the batsmen’s way. Kaif and Patel tackled whatever was being hurled at them with admirable maturity. The 19-year-old Patel was the more enterprising of the two, despatching well-timed boundaries off Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie. Kaif, in his fifth Test but looking like a veteran, was content to play a supporting role as they went on to forge the best alliance (102 runs) of the Indian innings.

Part of the Indian strategy had been to keep the Aussies out in the hot and humid conditions for as long as possible. It almost backfired, though, when Kaif, recovering from viral fever, fell victim to cramps, which saw him retiring at lunch. ‘‘The weakness (caused by the fever) and not drinking enough water caused it’’, he said.

When he returned as last man in, with Yuvraj Singh as a runner, he forgot he had to stay put at the crease and ended up being run out. By then, though, he’d logged his best batting performance in a Test match, and a fascinating one at that.

In the event, Shane Warne finally claimed his first fiver against India, though after 114 Tests and 500 wickets.

The Aussies began their second innings with an unnatural patience but lost their way in the day’s concluding session. Openers Justin Langer (19) and Matthew Hayden (39) were guilty of frittering away a good early start. Captain Adam Gilchrist, who decided to take control of the situation by coming in at Number 3, did retrieve the situation to a certain extent. But a Kumble wrong ’un late in the day put paid to a gutsy display that demanded immense concentration levels, having stood behind the stumps for close to 10 hours. The Indians were understandably elated. ‘‘Gilchrist’s was a great wicket’’, said Kaif. ‘‘We all know what he can do.’’

In between, Zaheer Khan too played a part by claiming the dogged Simon Katich and unleashing his best bowling spell of the series.

So is the Test headed India’s way? Not so soon. Australian coach John Buchanan, for one, hasn’t thrown in the towel yet. ‘‘We have three quality batsmen in there, who can bat well under similar conditions. Tomorrow will be a good test for them. The objective is one decent partnership as Kaif and Patel did today’’, he said, in an obvious reference to the likes of Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann and Michael Clarke.

For the Indians, too, much work remains. They need to ensure that the remaining Aussie batsmen aren’t allowed to convert the lead — currently nine runs — into a dangerous target. Anything beyond 150 and it’s Game On.

The Indians are in the driving seat but will need to drive carefully.