Australian spinner Nathan Lyon's four wickets in the final session pegged India back to 248/6 on the second day of the fourth Test in Dharamsala on Sunday.
Ravindra Jadeja (16*) and wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha (10*) were at the crease at the end of the second session, with India still trailing by 52 runs.
India were comfortable at 153/2 before Lyon's wickets put Australia in control. Cheteshwara Pujara scored a half century (57) while captain Ajinkya Rahane had plenty of close calls before being dismissed for 46.
KL Rahul (60) was the only wicket to fall in the post-lunch session, falling to a Pat Cummins bouncer. Australia tightened the screws and managed to stem the flow of runs but were unable to breach Pujara's solid defence. Rahane suffered a few close calls early on in his innings before settling down as the two batsman survived a testing spell.
In the morning session, opener Murali Vijay (11) fell caught behind off Josh Hazlewood as the Australians exploited the conditions in the hilly region and limited the run-scoring. India managed to go at a run-rate of just 2.28 before lunch.
On Saturday, Australia were bowled out for 300 with captain Steve Smith hitting 111 before the Indian bowlers led by debutant Kuldeep Yadav (4/67) produced a fightback to limit the visitors to a lower total.
The series is currently tied 1-1.
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