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PUNE: Australia´s left-arm spinner Steve O´Keefe dispatched six Indian batsmen in just 24 balls after lunch as the hosts collapsed to 105 all out in the opening Test in Pune Friday.
India were at 94-3 on day two before O´Keefe turned on the style against a stunned Indian batting order that offered no resistance as he raced to career-best figures of 6-35.
The 32-year-old´s stunning exploits saw India concede a 155-run first innings lead -- with captain Virat Kohli was dismissed for a rare duck -- and put Australia in charge of the first match of the four-Test series.
Kohli, who has hit four double centuries since July last year, walked after just two deliveries for his first duck in a Test since against England in August 2014.
Indian opener Lokesh Rahul top-scored for the home side with a gritty 64 as eight Indian batsmen failed to get into double figures.
India went to lunch 70-3 and got to 94 without further loss before O´Keefe, who had been largely ineffective during the morning session, swung control of the match to Australia.
He claimed three wickets in his 10th over to leave the Indian middle-order rattled at India´s newest Test venue, which has seen considerable turn from the beginning.
The wickets of Rahul, Ajinkya Rahane (13) and Wriddhiman Saha (0) broke India´s batting back and there was no looking back for O´Keefe in just his fifth ever Test.
India lost their last seven batsmen for a paltry 11 runs to post a first-innings total of just 105. Earlier, Mitchell Starc had claimed the prized scalp of Kohli.
Starc, who hit a gritty 61 in Australia´s first innings of 260, took two wickets in the space of three deliveries as the tourists made decisive early inroads into the Indian batting line-up.
