Dominant Australia close in on series win

Australia are on course to clinch the Test series against India with another resounding win after dominating the second day of the third Test match in Perth.

At stumps, the visitors were in desperate trouble on 88 for four, requiring another 120 runs to avoid crashing to the second innings defeat in the four-match series.

First-day hero, opener David Warner once again put India’s bowlers to the sword eventually compiling an impressive 180 while opening partner Ed Cowan continued his more steady progress before falling for 74.

Black Friday for India as Australia take control

The pair put on 214 for the first wicket before Cowan was bowled by Umesh Yadav who went on to claim four more Australian scalps and complete his maiden five-wicket Test haul.

Their openers aside, Australia’s batsmen struggled with captain Michael Clarke (7), Ricky Ponting (14) and Mike Hussey (18) all out cheaply.

Only Peter Siddle managed to compile any sort of score notching up 30 valuable runs for the hosts who were all out for 369.

Nevertheless, their first innings lead of 208 was enough to intimidate India’s batsmen who quickly wilted in the face of a confident Australian bowling attack.

Mitchell Starc dismissed opener Gautam Gambhir for 14 in the 10th over with his partner Virender Sehwag falling to Siddle for 10 seven balls later.

When Sachin Tendulkar (8) became Starc’s second victim and VVS Laxman fell to Ben Hilfenhaus without troubling the scorers India were flailing on 51 for four.

Raul Dravid (32 not out) and Virat Kohli (21 not out) went some way to steadying Indian nerves to see out the day without further alarm.

But paceman Starc is confident that Australia will wrap things up tomorrow and clinch a 3-0 series lead with only one match remaining.

“We feel we have got enough to possibly bowl them out without having to bat again,” Starc said, AFP reported.

“We are going to have to bowl pretty well tomorrow, but I think we have got enough to get there,” he added.