‘Need to stop Australia to around 220-250’
Spinner Nathan Lyon's five wickets and a breezy start by the batters gave Australia the upper hand in the second Test against India despite a counter-attacking 74 by Axar Patel on an intense second day.
India were all out for 262 after a key 114-run eighth-wicket fightback by Axar and Ravichandran Ashwin, leaving the tourists a lead of one run in New Delhi.
Australia raced to 61 for one at stumps after Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Usman Khawaja for six after a reverse sweep flew straight to leg slip.
Travis Head, on 39 with five fours and one six, and Marnus Labuschagne, on 16, were batting at the close of play with Australia leading by 62 runs in their second innings.
"We need to stop Australia to around 220-250 and I think that will be a gettable target on this pitch if we bat on day four," Axar, a left-hand batsman and a spinner, told reporters.
"Bowlers will have to be patient and work on getting wickets, bowl in good areas even when the batsmen are scoring runs," he added.
"In the last session they played aggressively and we noticed that."
Lyon led Australia's charge with four wickets to rattle India in the morning and then claimed his 22nd Test five-for in an afternoon session that saw a controversial dismissal of Virat Kohli on 44.
"Today was an amazing challenge against some world-class superstars. Happy with the way I came out and the role I played," said Lyon, who became the first Australian bowler to take 100 Test wickets against India.
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