'...there was a time there where it could have been 250 or 270 (run lead) or maybe even less there for a bit.'
Jasprit Bumrah disrupted Australia's plans as he left the hosts in a daze with a dream spell but the courageous Australian lower order steered the side to a commanding 333-run lead on Sunday, setting up the Boxing Day Test for an intriguing last-day finish.
Australia finished the fourth day at 228 for nine, leaving India skipper Rohit Sharma frustrated as the home team was in a spot at 156 for 8 at one stage.
Australia's number 8, 10 and 11 batters saw off nearly 35 overs and it could prove decisive.
Bumrah (4/53 in 17 overs) was an artist at work in the first two sessions and found his ally in Mohammed Siraj (3/66 in 22 overs) as momentum suddenly swung in India's favour.
Bumrah was unplayable for the better part of the second innings and completed 200 Test wickets on the day at an incredible average of 19.56.
With immaculate length, awkward bounce and late movement, Bumrah had the Australian line-up in complete tangle but India let slip the advantageous position in the final session.
Pat Cummins (41 off 90 balls), Lyon (41 batting, 54 balls) and Scott Boland (10 batting, 65 balls) beefed up the second innings total, leaving a jittery Indian top-order with a mountain to climb on the final day.
Just what India's target may be on Monday is yet to be determined, with the Aussies still yet to be dismissed in their second innings. Tailenders Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland put on an unbeaten stand of 55 during the final session to frustrate the tourists and ensure their lead was beyond 300.
Australia's top-scorer in the 2nd innings, Marnus Labuschagne revealed Australia had planned to declare during the final session, but Jasprit Bumrah's superb spell that saw the home side lose four wickets in as many overs meant that idea was quickly shelved.
"The perfect outcome for us would have probably looked like having a bowl tonight and putting them under pressure," Labuschagne said at the post-match press conference.
"But the way the wicket played and the way India bowled and came out and put us under pressure in that first 40 to 50 overs, that wasn't an option for us.
"It became, 'let's get as many runs as we can' and that's obviously creeping into a nice total now, but there was a time there where it could have been 250 or 270 (run lead) or maybe even less there for a bit.
"So I think we navigated that really well and the lower-order deserve a lot of credit, for how they managed that last part. I mean, I felt like we were probably ahead of the game just the whole way," he added.
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