PERTH, Australia (AP) — Australia strengthened its grip on the second cricket test as India teetered on 15-2 at tea on day four after being set 287 runs to win at the Perth Stadium on Monday.
Australian pacemen Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood struck in tandem to remove K.L. Rahul (0) and Cheteshwar Pujara (4) in 28 minutes bafore the break to leave India struggling.
This was after the pair had frustrated India with a 36-run last wicket stand to all but put the game beyond the tourists.
Opener Murali Vijay on six and skipper Virat Kohli, yet to score, were to resume after the break.
Swing bowler Mohammed Shami returned a career-best 6-56 to dismiss Australia for 243 in the second innings.
Resuming on 190-4 after lunch, Australia lost 4-6 off 23 balls with Shami taking 3-5 in eight balls.
It was an outstandiung effort by Shami in his 38th test after going wicketless in Australia's 326 all out in the first innings. It was only the fourth time he has taken five wickets in an innings.
Resuming the day on 132-4, Khawaja and Paine weathered the deteriorating pitch and fiery fast bowling as they added 58 runs to their fifth wicket stand before lunch.
Shami dismissed Paine and opener Aaron Finch with successive balls and was on a hat-trick in the next over, only to be thwarted by Pat Cummins.
Shami began the slide by ending the 72-run fifth wicket union when Paine gloved a short delivery to second slip Kohli off the third ball after lunch.
Opener Aaron Finch, forced to retire hurt on day three after being hit on the hand by Shami, gloved a legside catch to wickletkeeper Rishabh Pant, without adding to his score of 25.
Khawaja, who had batted defiantly for five hours, succumbed to a Shami delivery that flew off the surface, and gloved it to Pant. Khawaja hit five fours off 213 balls.
Soon after, Jasprit Bumrah bowled Cummins with a ball that kept alarmingly low, hinting at how difficult batting last on this pitch would be for India.
Nathan Lyon took a blow on the face of his helmet off Shami, which required attention from the side's medical team, and fell off the next ball, hitting a catch to Murali Vijay to give Shami his sixth wicket.
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