Quicks trigger stump-shattering collapse

The second new ball and a supreme display of fast bowling has skittled India on the morning of day four in Bengaluru.

Pace spearheads Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who finished the innings with career-best figures of 6-67, combined to take four wickets in nine balls to derail India’s hopes of setting a mammoth fourth-innings run chase for the visitors.

The hosts were eventually bowled out for 274, leaving Australia 188 runs to win. 

Starc was the first to strike in the 85th over, hooping back the second new ball to trap Ajinkya Rahane lbw for 52.

Initially given not out by umpire Nigel Llong, Australia skipper Steve Smith opted to review the decision and was proven right, with ball-tracking confirming the ball was pitching in line with leg stump and going on to hit the wickets.

Starc then doubled his wicket tally next ball with a searing inswinger clocked at 154kph, a bullet that Karun Nair edged into his leg stump, which split in two on impact.

Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha survived the hat-trick ball, just, but the carnage didn’t stop at the end of Starc’s over.

Hazlewood then joined the action in the next over, first removing Cheteshwar Pujara for 92 with a ball that climbed on the right-hander, found the shoulder of the bat and was caught by Mitchell Marsh in the gully.

The 26-year-old had his fifth victim three balls later when a length ball went underground to crash into Ravi Ashwin’s off stump.

The highlight reel continued when Saha took the attack to Starc, launching the left-armer over long-off for a six, much to the delight of the heaving M Chinnsawamy Stadium audience.

Umesh Yadav holed out to David Warner at mid-off in the 88th over to give Hazlewood his sixth wicket, the first six-wicket haul by an Australian quick in India since 1979.

India's last-wicket pair added 16 valuable runs before Steve O'Keefe removed Ishant Sharma for 6, completing the collapse of 6-36 before lunch.

Best bowling figures by Australian fast bowlers in India

• 7-43: Ray Lindwall, Chennai, 1956
• 7-67: Geoff Dymock, Kanpur, 1979
• 7-93: Allan Davison, Kanpur, 1959
• 6-58: Graham McKenzie, Chennai, 1964
• 6-67: Graham McKenzie, Kolkata, 1969
• 6-67: Josh Hazlewood, Bengaluru, 2017