India A have enjoyed a magnificent third day in taking two Australia A wickets, after wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat piled on a century, to keep them 121-runs ahead and within sight of victory in their four-day match at Alur.
Australia are looking wobbly on 2-38 and chasing India after the stoic Bharat impressively hit 12 boundaries and a six on his way to a 106 off 186 balls on day three in Bengaluru on Monday.
Kuldeep Yadav, who was recently sent home from India's Test loss to England at Lord's, also managed to find his footing in striking 52 against the visitors.
It took the speed of Chris Tremain (3-41) to dismiss Yadav before spinner Ashton Agar (3-87) sent India's final man Bharat packing.
India A was all out for 505, leaving the chase to Australia A who hit a total of 346 in their first innings.
But Australia's Kurtis Patterson and Matt Renshaw didn't start well with both openers dismissed cheaply.
Patterson (4) was clean bowled by spinner Krishnappa Gowtham in the ninth over, while not long after Renshaw (19) was caught off a spinner from Shahbaz Nadeem.
Travis Head (4) and Peter Hanscomb (1) will have to dig deep against their confident rivals when play resumes on Tuesday.
Tremain later explained that Australia had again bowled with some bounce to try to keep the opposition on the defensive, but some Indian players had clearly adapted to the tactic.
"If we push them back we can contain them a little bit easier and if they decide to take it on I think we can contain them on the leg side as well," he told reporters afterwards.
"We saw today Bharat, who tweaked his game from the first game to this one, and it worked for him and it payed dividends."
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