Mitchell Starc's epic celebration after incredible first-over wicket
India have crashed to 2-15 after being set a target of 287 runs to win the second Test and take an unassailable 2-0 series lead in Perth, where a demonic pitch has Australia’s quicks licking their lips on day four.
Usman Khawaja and Tim Paine negotiated a wicketless morning session on Monday, advancing Australia to 4-192 before all hell broke loose in the first over after lunch.
A collapse of 5-15 was followed by a final-wicket stand of 36 runs between Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, with the hosts eventually rolled for 243.
Starc needed just four balls to dismiss KL Rahul for a duck, leaving the Aussie quick jumping for joy in raucous celebrations.
Watch the wicket in the video at the top of the page.
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Meanwhile, Hazlewood’s rearing bounce removed Cheteshwar Pujara during a brutal six-over burst before tea.
Mohammed Shami’s career-best haul of 6-56 has given the tourists a sniff but recent and long-term history underlines how tricky their target is.
India’s highest-successful Test run-chase in Australia had come in 2003 when they reached 6-233 at Adelaide Oval, while they’ve rarely played on an Australian deck with so many gremlins.
Shami fired out Paine and Aaron Finch, resuming after he retired hurt on day three because of a finger injury caused by the same bowler, with consecutive short balls.
Paine, having swapped verbals and gone chest to chest with Virat Kohli in the morning session, turned and looked back at India’s skipper as he walked off after being dismissed.
It was unclear what a cackling Kohli said after holding a slips catch to dismiss his counterpart.
The introduction of the second new ball resulted in Khawaja and Pat Cummins departing in contrasting fashion that highlighted the uneven bounce on offer.
Khawaja, whose 72 might well be the difference if Australia level the four-Test series at Optus Stadium, attempted to get the bat and gloves out of harm’s way but edged a delivery on a good length that spat at him violently.
Cummins was bowled by an unplayable ball from Jasprit Bumrah that hit a crack and hardly bounced.
Nathan Lyon became Shami’s sixth victim, caught in the deep the very next ball after being hit on the grille.
Earlier, Kohli and Paine continued the slanging match they had started late on day three.
Kohli stationed himself in the path of Paine at one point when the batsman was running between the wickets, with the pair making slight contact when they were chest to chest.
Both skippers grinned after the incident.
INDIA’S HIGHEST SUCCESSFUL TEST RUN-CHASES OUTSIDE INDIA:
* 4-406 v West Indies (1976, Port of Spain)
* 3-264 v Sri Lanka (2001, Kandy)
* 5-258 v Sri Lanka (2010, Colombo)
* 6-233 v Australia (2003, Adelaide).