India On The Verge Of Ignominy

India were on the brink of one of their biggest Test defeats after yetanother batting collapse put Australia on course for a comprehensive victory inthe first Test today.

Chasing a record target of 457 on a wearing track, the home team were gaspingat an embarrassing 105 for six at close on the penultimate day, still trailingby 351 runs with just four wickets in hand.

Barring Rahul Dravid who waged a lone battle, none of the other Indianbatsmen showed any application on a difficult track at the M. ChinnaswamyStadium on a dramatic day's play which saw as many as 12 wickets fall.

Dravid was batting on a gritty 47 alongwith Irfan Pathan (7) with India stillin danger of suffering their biggest defeat in Test history -- a margin of 329runs against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in 1996-97.

The Indian batting disintegrated under the weight of a huge target. Whateverhopes one had of Saurav Ganguly's men making amends for the first inningsdebacle evaporated in thin air with the dismissal of Virender Sehwag for zero.

Umpire Billy Bowden's decision to rule him leg before might have beencontentious, as TV replays showed a thick inside edge, but Sehwag's mouthing ofthe umpire -- sure to invite penal action -- only reflected the frustration of abatsman woefully out of form.

To add insult to injury was the run out of the captain although Dravid mighthave to share a fair bit of the blame as he failed to respond to Ganguly's callin time and leaving him little time to get back to his crease.

Shane Warne was one wicket away from equalling Muttiah Muralitharan's worldrecord tally of 532 after having V.V.S. Laxman out for the second time in thematch.

But it was the impeccable line and length of Glenn McGrath that dismantledthe Indian top order.

The 34-year old New South Wales seamer had an opening spell figures of5-4-1-1, and returned to break the fifth wicket stand between Dravid and YuvrajSingh by inducing a faint edge of the latter's bat. McGrath ended the day withtwo for nine from 12 overs.

Sehwag lasted seven balls before McGrath rapped him on the pads.

Aakash Chopra (5) had a lucky escape early on when an awkardly risingdelivery from Jason Gillespie bounced off the shoulder of his bat but fell outof Matthew Hayden's reach in the slip cordon.

But the right hander lasted just a little longer, falling leg before to thesame bowler in the fourth over.

Then followed Ganguly's run out before Warne delivered the killer blow whenhis flipper caught Laxman (3) plumb in front.

Yuvraj Singh showed glimpses of his class as he picked Warne with precision.But his tendency to poke at deliveries away from the body landed him in troubleonce again.

McGrath set up the dismissal with a plan only a stalwart of his calibre can,feeding him outside the off before bowling one much closer to induce the edge.

In the meantime, Dravid was sustaining India's hopes but living dangerously.He was having trouble against Warne and when on 14 a faint edge tippedGilchrist's gloves before beating the first slip fielder to the third manboundary.

But 'The Wall' soon acquired the solidity that had come to personify hisinnings and began to time his shots well.

But with four wickets to claim and one full day's remaining, only the weathergods can save India.

The Chinnaswamy Stadium then had proved once again lucky for the visitors anda graveyard for the hosts.

Earlier, Australia were all out for 228 with Harbhajan Singh claiming his13th career five-wicket haul.

It was also the sixth successive occasion the offie had claimed five wicketin an innings against the Aussies on home soil.

The Australian innings also witnessed Gillespie walking although SteveBucknor turned down an appeal for bat-pad catch off Harbhajan.

The 'Turbanator' started the day by dismissing first innings centurionMichael Clarke and the well-set Damien Martyn to put the skids under theAussies.

Both Clarke (17) and Martyn (45) fell while trying to get on top of Harbhajan.The former groped forward in an effort to negotiate the spin but ended upbat-padding to Chopra at short leg.

Martyn had done well against the off-spinner and had carefully avoided thefate of Clarke until he stepped out and played an uppish flick for a simplecatch to substitute Mohammad Kaif at short mid-wicket.

Till that moment, India had conceded only 20 runs in 15 overs. But Warnechanged the complexion of the game a whirlwind knock of 31 from 49 balls withfive fours.

In the very first over he faced Harbhajan, Warne swept his off break to thesquare leg boundary with devastating effect. One more similar sweep, and theoffie went back on the defensive.

Anil Kumble, after a disappointing spell, managed to turn one big enough toforce a bat-pad catch of Gilchrist.

Warne fell to Harbhajan with Yuvraj coming up with a sharp catch at shortleg.

PTI