PERTH, Australia (AP) — Fast bowler Mohamed Siraj bowled India to the brink of victory in the opening cricket Test of the Border-Gavaskar series, with Australia struggling at 104-5 at lunch on the fourth day.

Siraj removed opener Usman Khawaja with his fourth ball on Monday and then set up star batsman Steve Smith to end a frustrating 62-run fifth wicket stand.

Siraj switched ends with fellow fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and forced Smith (17) to leave a low catch off wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

Siraj took 3-34 while Bumrah, Australia’s main destroyer in the first innings with 5-30, had 2-26 at the break.

Travis Head was not out on 63 and Mitchell Marsh was unbeaten on five points. The pair will resume after lunch as Australia face the bleak task of surviving at least 165 overs over five sessions to prevent India from taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

India is close to winning only its second Test match against Australia in Perth in six matches after the 72-run victory at the WACA ground in January 2008. It will also be the 10th win for the tourists in 53 Tests on Australian soil.

India’s leading position was built by majestic centuries from opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (161) and a masterful 100 not out by Virat Kohli as India ended its second innings with 487-6 declared.

This was after an excellent spell of fast bowling by Bumrah, with Australia dismissed for 104 in reply to India’s 150 all out on an eventful first day that saw the fall of 17 wickets.

Posting an impossible 534 runs to win the Test on a Perth Stadium surface that is increasingly deteriorating, Australia crashed to 12-3 on the third night.

The start of day four did not go well for the hosts as Siraj forced Khawaja (4) towards the top edge for Pant to complete a running catch to reduce Australia to 17-4.

But Smith and Head survived some anxious moments against the Indian pace quartet and Head counter-attacked to a half-century off 63 balls with six fours. He has faced 72 balls and hit seven fours so far.

Smith, the most experienced batsman in the side, left his first ball blank in the first innings and played a vigilant innings, but was eventually undone by an excellent Siraj delivery.

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AP Cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket