Australia back in charge PERTH – Australia, fired by David Warner's 180, was closing in on victory after reducing India to 88 for four in its second innings after two days of the third Test Saturday. India, which already trails 2-0 in the four-match series and is heading for a seventh consecutive overseas Test defeat, is still 120 runs shy of forcing the hosts to bat again. India's bowlers, led by Umesh Yadav's 5-93, got their team back into the contest after the day one demolition, skittling the last six Australian wickets for 79 runs to leave the hosts all out for 369 at tea with a first inning's lead of 208. The bounce of the WACA wicket once again proved too much for their batsmen, however, and Australia's pace quartet removed Gautam Gambhir (14), Virender Sehwag (10), Sachin Tendulkar (eight) and VVS Laxman (0) cheaply in the final session. India will resume Sunday with Rahul Dravid, who had made 32 not out, and Virat Kohli, unbeaten on 21, at the crease with three days of the contest remaining. Australia would have been hoping for a bigger lead after dominating the opening day to bowl India out for 161 and resuming on 149 without loss on another hot day at the WACA. Yadav, however, struck with three wickets in the hour before lunch, Ishant Sharma accounted for Warner, Zaheer Khan pitched in with two wickets and debutant R. Vinay Kumar got his maiden Test victim. It could have been even better for the tourists had Kohli not dropped a simple catch when Warner, who hit the quickest century by an opening batsman in 69 balls on Friday, was on 126. The 25-year-old lefthander, who had resumed on 104, hit a spectacular six through extra cover, his fifth of the innings, and two balls later grabbed his 20th four with the crispest of cuts. Another two balls on, however, and a Sharma delivery was launched into the sky towards long on and Yadav got himself under it to take the catch, bringing an end to the innings after 261 minutes and just 159 balls.Yadav had already separated the two Australian openers when he bowled Ed Cowan for 74.
