India shrugged off the absence of captain Jasprit Bumrah to dismiss Australia for 181 and reached 141 for six, gaining an overall lead of 145 on an extraordinary second day of the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Bumrah claimed the first wicket to set India on their way, but shortly after lunch, he was seen leaving the field with the team doctor for medical scans due to an undisclosed injury.
Prasidh Krishna (3-42), Mohammed Siraj (3-51) and Nitish Kumar Reddy stepped up to fill the void left by Bumrah's departure, picking up key wickets to rout Australia.
The Indian bowlers fired on all cylinders, gaining a slender first-innings lead of just four runs by tea.
However, the pitch remained challenging and paceman Scott Boland took 4-42 in the final session, adding to his four-wicket haul from the previous day.
His efforts helped Australia make inroads into India's batting, dismissing key players and keeping the match finely poised.
Rishabh Pant, however, gave the Indian supporters something to cheer about.
Playing with freedom, Pant unleashed a barrage of extraordinary shots in a stunning 28-ball half-century to halt Australia's momentum.
He was dismissed for 61 in the final hour, with Australia captain Pat Cummins claiming his wicket, the 14th of the day.
Boland wasn't done yet. He struck again, removing Nitish Kumar Reddy, leaving Ravindra Jadeja (8*) and Washington Sundar (6*) at the crease when stumps were called.
The crowd of 47,257 basking in the Sydney sunshine were treated to a gripping contest that swung back and forth.
Australia leads the series 2-1, but with plenty at stake, India needed to win in Sydney to square the series and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Among the notable performances, debutant all-rounder Beau Webster stood out with a valiant 57, Australia's highest score of the innings.
The crowd roared in approval as Webster celebrated his half-century and later claimed his maiden Test wicket by dismissing Shubman Gill for 13.
Virat Kohli, standing in for Bumrah as India's captain, was met with boos as he walked to the crease for what could be his final innings in Australia.
However, the mood shifted when Kohli was dismissed cheaply for just six, caught in the slips off Boland’s bowling.
Boland's performance was the talk of the town, with his peach of a delivery to remove Yashasvi Jaiswal (22) being greeted with one of the loudest roars of the day. His spell continues to make him a cult hero in Australia.
Earlier in the day, Bumrah had dismissed Marnus Labuschagne, taking his series tally to 32 wickets at an average of 13.06.
Krishna also impressed, claiming the key wicket of Steve Smith (33) to break a promising partnership with Webster and leave Smith five runs short of 10,000 Test runs.
India, who had dropped captain Rohit Sharma for the match, now face the challenge of winning in Sydney to level the series and retain the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
