MOHALI (India), Oct 20: Australia were staring at defeat after losing their top five batsmen for just 10 runs on the fourth day of the second Test against India here on Monday.

Chasing a daunting victory target of 516 after the Indians declared their second innings at 314-3, Australia were reeling at 141-5 at stumps on a benign pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association.

Michael Clarke however defied the Indian attack and was on 42 with six fours at close along with Brad Haddin (37), the duo having put on 83 runs for the sixth-wicket stand.

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, 28, started the Australian rot, sending back openers Matthew Hayden (29) and Simon Katich (20) in his sensational opening over before removing Michael Hussey (1) for his 299th Test scalp.

Hayden, who hit Zaheer Khan for two fours in an over, was trapped leg before while Katich lobbed one for Sachin Tendulkar to take a fine tumbling catch at short point.

Ricky Ponting (2) saw his off-stump uprooted by lanky paceman Ishant Sharma who claimed the Australian skipper for the fifth time in as many matches.

Sharma then returned to dismiss Shane Watson (2), who top-scored with 78 in Australia’s first innings total of 268, to reduce Australia to 58-5.

Needing 375 more runs with five wickets in hand, the number one side in the world will have to pray for a miracle if they are to stop India from going 1-0 up in the series for the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

The first Test in Bangalore ended in a draw.

History is also against the visitors as the highest successful fourth innings chase is 418 achieved by the West Indies against Australia at St John’s in the 2002-03 series.

Australian coach Tim Nielsen though believed his team could still pull off a win, declaring “the game is not lost yet.”

“The whole day is left tomorrow and it’s a nice batting wicket. We just need to make sure we execute our skills better.

The Indians, who made 469 all out in their first outing, declared their second innings an hour before tea to leave Australia four and a half sessions to make the target.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni struck an unbeaten 68 off 84 balls with three fours and one six after Gautam Gambhir (104) and Virender Sehwag (90) added 182 for the opening wicket to consolidate India’s lead.

Ponting used as many as seven bowlers to check the rampant Indian batsmen who scored at nearly five runs an over, but with little luck.

Gambhir, 27, hit seven fours and a six for only his second Test century while Sehwag clobbered eight fours but was unlucky to miss out on a ton on his 30th birthday.

Gambhir’s knock was cut short by White when he had him caught by Hussey at mid-off while Sehwag offered a thick edge off Peter Siddle (1-62) to Haddin behind the stumps.

Scoreboard

INDIA (1st Innings) 469 (S.C. Ganguly 102, M.S. Dhoni 92, S.R. Tendulkar 88, G. Gambhir 67).

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 268 (S.R. Watson 78, M.E.K. Hussey 54; A. Mishra 5-71).

INDIA (2nd Innings, overnight 100-0):

G. Gambhir c Hussey b White 104

V. Sehwag c Haddin b Siddle 90

M.S. Dhoni not out 68

S.C. Ganguly c Clarke b Lee 27

S.R. Tendulkar not out 10

EXTRAS (B-3, LB-4, W-5, NB-3) 15

TOTAL (for three decl, 65 overs) 314

FALL OF WKTS: 1-182, 2-224, 3-290.

BOWLING: Lee 14-0-61-1 (1nb); Siddle 15-1-62-1 (1nb); Johnson 14-0-72-0; White 8-0-48-1 (5w); Watson 5-0-20-0; Hussey 8-0-38-0 (1nb); Clarke 1-0-6-0.

AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings):

M.L. Hayden lbw b Harbhajan 29

S.M. Katich c Tendulkar b Harbhajan 20

R.T. Ponting b Sharma 2

M.E.K. Hussey lbw b Harbhajan 1

M.J. Clarke not out 42

S.R. Watson lbw b Sharma 2

B.J. Haddin not out 37

EXTRAS (B-4, NB-4) 8

TOTAL (for five wkts, 46 overs) 141

FALL OF WKTS: 1-49, 2-50, 3-52, 4-52, 5-58.

BOWLING (to-date): Zaheer Khan 8-1-44-0 (1nb); Sharma 9-4-29-2; Harbhajan Singh 15-2-23-3 (1nb), Mishra 9-1-34-0 (2nb); Sehwag 5-2-7-0.—AFP