Yashasvi Jaiswal hit an unbeaten 90 and KL Rahul an elegant 62 on Saturday as India built a worrying 218-run lead over Australia to take control of the opening Test in Perth.
A determined and courageous effort from both men against a world-class attack put the visitors in the driving seat as they look to draw first blood in the five-match series.
Jaiswal faced 193 balls while Rahul dismissed 153 to take India to an unbeaten 172 at the close of the second day.
India have won their last two Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia but came into the Perth Stadium clash after a devastating 3-0 home defeat to New Zealand.
After making a miserable 150 on a lively pitch in their first innings, the pressure was on again. But their response turned out to be admirable.
They took a 46-run advantage in the second innings after dismissing the hosts for a paltry 104 at lunch.
Dynamic skipper Jasprit Bumrah blitzed 5-30 and Harshit Rana grabbed 3-48.
“When Bumrah took the wickets, I was also desperate to do well,” said Rana, who is making his debut.
“He sets the tone for us and I have kept his promises.”
Young gun Jaiswal, just 22 and playing his 15th Test, failed to score in his first over and started timidly before a boundary off Mitchell Starc settled it.
Alongside the more experienced Rahul, who was playing in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, they were resolute against the new ball on a more placid pitch than the treacherous one that greeted the players on Friday.
Both ran well between the wicket and cracked anything that came loose to the boundary, playing their shots as their confidence grew.
With the ball not moving as much, Australia were in dire need of inspiration, but it did not come while the partnership was flourishing.
Left-hander Jaiswal made his ninth Test half-century off 123 balls, slapping Nathan Lyon for a single.
He had a release on 52 in an attempted strike on Starc, the ball flying towards Usman Khawaja at second slip, but he failed to take a difficult chance.
The stylish Rahul also had a scare, surviving a run-out for 42.
He regrouped to reach his 16th half-century in his 54th Test, taking one ball more than Jaiswal, and once those landmarks were reached, they began to play more freely.
– ‘Problems to solve’ –
“I think the wicket has changed significantly,” Australian coach Andrew McDonald said.
“Seam and swing were down from yesterday, but KL and Jaiswal bowled extremely well.
“We have problems to resolve, there is no doubt about that,” he added. “We are clearly behind at this point.
“But that doesn’t mean tomorrow can’t change very quickly, Test cricket comes and goes.”
After a stunning fall of 17 wickets on a chaotic opening day, Australia rallied from 67-7 to put up 37 thanks to a last-ditch resistance at the wicket.
They reached triple figures through Starc and Josh Hazlewood, with their 25-run stand the longest of the Australian innings.
Bumrah was India’s leading destroyer with his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests.
The home hopes rested on Alex Carey as he started on 19, but after pushing two from Rana, he came up against an unstoppable Bumrah.
Rounding the wicket, the Indian captain bowled Carey and he nicked wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
Lyon (5) did well to drag 16 fiery balls before gloving a short one from Rana to Rahul in the slips.
This brought Hazlewood to the crease and it seemed only a matter of time before India struck again.
But he and Starc remained brave, leading the 100 to the cheers of the crowd.
It was a smart innings from Starc, who doggedly faced 112 balls and shielded Hazlewood to add crucial extra runs before throwing Rana to Pant on 26.
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