Australia v India Melbourne Test: Aussies in control despite Jasprit Bumrah's brilliance

Hosts extend lead to 333 after brilliant fightback by lower order in fourth Test

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  India pacer Jasprit Bumrah celebrates with teammates after dismissing Australia's Alex Carey on the fourth day of the fourth Test in Melbourne. AFP

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  Australian batsman Sam Konstas is clean bowled by Jasprit Bumrah at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. AFP

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  India's Mohammed Siraj after taking the wicket of Australia's Marnus Labuschagne. AFP

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  Mohammed Siraj bowled brilliantly alongside Jasprit Bumrah in the middle session. AP

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  Australia's Marnus Labuschagne top-scored with 70. AFP

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  Australia captain Pat Cummins, right, and Marnus Labuschagne rescued their second innings. AFP

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  Australia's Nathan Lyon, left, and Scott Boland added fifty for the last wicket. AFP

Australia took control of the fourth Test against India in Melbourne despite a sensational spell from Jasprit Bumrah on Sunday.

The hosts were staring down the barrel at 91-6 and the lead not even past 200 before some sloppy fielding by India and remarkable determination from Australia's lower order took them to 228-9 by stumps on day four.

Marnus Labuschagne continued to look rock solid as he made 70, while captain Pat Cummins (41) and spinner Nathan Lyon (41 not out) fought back superbly to take the lead to 333, which seemed a long way away when Bumrah was bowling earlier in the day.

India were on the back foot early when they were dismissed for 369 in reply to Australia's first innings 474. The visitors could only add 11 to their overnight score, with centurion Nitish Kumar Reddy the last man out, caught in the deep for 114.

The Aussies started their innings 105 runs ahead and hoping to score quickly for 60 odd overs before declaring.

However, they were in for a rough ride.

Teenage opener Sam Konstas was unable to match the fearless batting from his debut first innings as he was clean bowled for eight by Bumrah. Fellow opener Usman Khawaja was castled by an inswinger by Mohammad Siraj for 21, having been dropped early on by Yashasvi Jaiswal at leg gully.

Jaiswal ended up dropping three chances during the day, which turned out to be the deciding factor in the innings.

The hosts stabilised at 80-2 before Steve Smith edged Siraj on 13 to trigger a collapse.

Day four then burst into life as the hosts lost four wickets for 11 runs after lunch to slump to 91-6.

Bumrah became almost unplayable in the second innings with the older ball, generating extravagant movement off the pitch and in the air.

Bumrah dismissed the dangerous Travis Head, who was out for duck in the first innings, for one then got the out-of-form Mitchell Marsh for a duck.

Head was caught flicking a ball to square leg before Marsh gloved one to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

Alex Carey was then bowled by Bumrah for two as the hosts looked like getting bowled out for below 150.

However, Labuschagne and Cummins fought back, helped greatly by dropped chances by Jaiswal.

The two took the total close to 150 before Labuschagne was trapped lbw by the impressive Siraj.

However, the Aussies continued to fight as India's limited frontline bowling resources began to feel the strain. Cummins was the ninth batsman out as he edged spinner Ravindra Jadeja to slip with the total on 173.

The last pair of Lyon and Scott Boland then stitched together a sensational half-century partnership to take the lead beyond 300 and the match almost out of India's reach.

Bumrah finished with 4-56 after bowling heroically for 24 overs, while Siraj took 3-66.

The 31-year-old Bumrah powered past 200 Test wickets and now boasts the lowest average at 19.39 of all 85 bowlers to have reached that milestone.

However, he missed the support of a third frontline bowler as seamer Akash Deep bowled brilliantly without much luck and also picked up an injury which kept him out of the field for a number of overs. The young seamer only bowled 17 overs as spinner Jadeja had to be pressed into action.