Australia were bowled out for 104 on Saturday after fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah took his 11th five-wicket haul to help India take a 46-run lead at lunch on the second day of the first Test in Perth.
Stand-in skipper Bumrah (5-30) set the tone with his first ball of the morning, which lobbed backwards and away from left-hander Alex Carey (21) towards keeper Rishabh Pant.
In a chaos-filled 17-wicket opening day, India were bowled out for 150 in two sessions, but Bumrah inspired a magnificent comeback to have Australia reeling at 67-7 by stumps.
Debutant Harshit Rana (3-48) claimed the second wicket of the second day, bowling short and fast to Nathan Lyon (five) who could only cut the ball as far as KL Rahul at gully.
Overnight batsman Mitchell Starc, who made 26, denied Bumrah a career-best score when he slipped between Pant and first slip, then threw caution to the wind by hitting Rana against the closing of the central counter.
Starc took blows to the helmet and shoulder during a 112-ball stay, persevering and showing a resilient intent that was missing from established batsmen.
The 34-year-old combined for 25 runs with a cautious Josh Hazlewood (seven not out), hitting the strike when needed. But Rana ended the resistance, sending top scorer Starc on a shot that skied towards Pant.
Reuters