Posts Tagged ‘Harbhajan Singh’
Team India’s golden run continues, as skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and boys end the year (2008) on a ‘winning note’, with Dhoni’s brigade winning the Test series against England 1-nil.
Even though the final Test at Mohali ended in a draw, it was celebration time for the Indian players, as Dhoni’s boys lifted the trophy after an impressive performance against Kevin Pietersen’s side. This is just one of the many victories that Team India have scripted in the year 2008.
India outplayed England in the one day series to win 5-nil and before the ‘Winter War’ rages on, India trashed Ricky Ponting’s men to lift the ‘Border-Gavaskar’ trophy, an absolutely extra ordinary year for Indian cricket – which also saw Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble retire from international cricket.
India’s on-field performance are paying off the field following a successful 2008 season. Team India have retained the number two spot in ICC Test Rankings, this feat comes after Dhoni and boys won the Test series against England 1-nil.
Following their win the opening Test at Chennai and draw in the final Test, India surged ahead of South Africa taking a one point lead at number two slot, a position the India has held on briefly after trashing the Australians 2-nil.
Here’s a look at the ranking’s table:
Australia remains on the firing line after the defeat at Perth, and is still retaining the top spot with 130 points. Team India stands at the second place with 118 points, meanwhile South Africa fares just a point behind at 117. However the Proteas will be hoping to continue their good form ‘Down Under’ and retain the number two peg by winning the ‘Boxing Day Test’.
The former English players have again hailed Team India’s performances, and David Lloyd has gone on to declare, “India is definitely the number one Test side in world cricket, in fact the former England all-rounder believes that, India has always been a better side in the ‘Winter War’ – and at the moment, they are the best in business.”
Derek Pringle too has hailed the efforts of an united Team India but the former English paceman has especially, praised skipper MS Dhoni’ s leadership skills and his confidence, in leading a youngish team to the summit of world cricket.
According to David Lloyd, the famed former English player, “India has always been the better team in the series and in my opinion, constitutes the best team in the world in Tests at present. On the other hand, England has also played its part and can only learn from their Indian experience.”
Just as India end the year on a winning note, it’s time to cast a glance at India’s best wins of the 2008 season.
After umpires cheated India in Sydney and the ‘Monkey Gate’ saga, a spirited team India stunned the Aussies by an impressive fightback to conquer Perth. India denied Australia a record 17th straight victory by dismissing them for 340, going on to win the third Test at Perth by 72 runs.
What followed in the one-day series was phenomenal, with Dhoni leading India to script a historic win and lift the CB series. The Sachin Tendulkar being the star performer for the ‘Men in Blue, after a century in the first final, the ‘Little Master’ scored 91 to beat the Aussies on their own soil.
Again, in the home series against South Africa, India fought back from being 1-nil down to draw the series against Proteas. India also finished the Kanpur Test in 3 days, this being Dhoni’s first Test as the skipper with Kumble getting injured. Spinner Harbhajan Singh was adjudged the ‘Player of the Series’ for Team India.
It was revenge time for Team India as Australia arrived in India. India’s golden run continued, as the Aussies were demolished by Team India at Mohali, after Ganguly slammed a century and Tendulkar went on to become the ‘King of Test’ cricket by surpassing Brian Lara – as the highest run scorer in the Tests in first Test.
The final Test at Nagpur witnessed a historic Test victory by Team India, as Dhoni led India with Kumble retiring from international cricket. India reclaimed the ‘Border Gavaskar’ trophy, after 8 long years in the farewell Test of Sourav Ganguly. India humiliated the Australians and won the series 2-nil.
Opener Gautam Gambhir’s stupendous year with the willow today (December 24) helped him jump 10 spots to 10th in the ICC Test Rankings, making him the highest-ranked Indian batsman in the list.
The diminutive Delhi batsman has scored more than 1000 runs this calendar year, including three hundreds in his last five Tests.
Gambhir, who made 179 and 97 in the second and final Test against England at Mohali, amassed 361 runs in the two-match series against England at an average of 90.25.
The 27-year-old was in 37th place in October but had rocketed 27 places since then after scoring 824 runs in five Tests at an average of 82.4.
However, it is down-slide for his more famous team-mates. Virender Sehwag (13th) and Sachin Tendulkar (18th), who scripted a memorable win in the first Test against England in Chennai, as also VVS Laxman (18th), have slipped outside the top 10.
Rahul Dravid, who ended his extended lean patch with a century at Mohali, climbed two places to 28th. The same is for another star performer in Chennai, Yuvraj Singh who jumped 10 places to 46th.
Among bowlers, India’s player of the series against England, Zaheer Khan, has gained two places to 12th position while his team-mate Harbhajan Singh has gone also up two places to eighth.
Meanwhile, Shivnarine Chanderpaul of the West Indies has strengthened his hold on the top of the batting chart by becoming only the 25th batsman in the history of Test cricket and the sixth West Indian to reach the magic 900-point mark.
The 34-year-old Chanderpaul, who won the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2008 award at the ICC Awards in Dubai, reached the milestone while making 126 not out in the first innings against New Zealand in the Napier Test which ended in a draw.
There was no good news for Australia whose captain Australia captain Ricky Ponting has dropped three places to ninth — his lowest ranking since October 2002.
Mike Hussey has slipped two places to sixth, Michael Clarke has dropped one place to 12th and Matthew Hayden has slipped three places to 16th.
England captain Kevin Pietersen has returned to the top five for the first time in 14 months and now sits in fifth place after jumping three places due to a magnificent innings of 144 at Mohali against India.
Another new addition to the top 20 is South Africa’s AB de Villiers whose 63 and 106 not out was the cornerstone of South Africa’s six-wicket victory over Australia in a record final-innings run-chase of 414.
This performance has lifted him seven places to 17th in the rankings.The bowlers’ list is still headed by Sri Lanka’s iconic spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.
Australia’s Mitchell Johnson has broken into the top five for the first time after his man-of-the-match performance in the Perth Test where he had match figures of 11/159.
South Africa’s Makhaya Ntini recorded figures of 4/72 and 1/76 which have helped him rise to third place and is now just behind second-placed team-mate Dale Steyn who had figures of 4/162.
There is no change in the top five in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders as South Africas Jacques Kallis enjoys a commanding lead over New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori.
Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh kept India in control of the second Test
Posted on: December 22, 2008
Following a fog-delayed start, England resumed on 282-6 in reply to India’s 453 but they were bowled out for 302 as Harbhajan Singh finished with 4-68.
The tourists fought back to reduce India to 44-3 and then 80-4.
But Gambhir (44no) and the explosive Yuvraj (39no) guided the hosts to 134-4 at the close, a lead of 285.
With his side having offered such a poor display with the bat, England captain Kevin Pietersen will have been delighted by the way they performed in the field.
But the arrival of Yuvraj, their nemesis in the abandoned one-day-series, allowed India to reassert their authority going into day five.
A draw remains the most likely result and that would be enough to seal the series for India, who are 1-0 in the two-Test series after their victory in Chennai.
For the second successive day, thick fog meant the start of play was delayed considerably and it was not until 0530 GMT, two hours late, that the players and umpires came to the middle.
That gave England, who lost the crucial wickets of Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff late on day four, plenty of time to focus on the task ahead.
It was vital that nightwatchman James Anderson and Matt Prior batted cautiously to see England through the opening exchanges and, if possible, guide them towards India’s first-innings 453.
But such hopes were banished when Prior clipped the first ball of the third over, from Harbhajan, into the hands of wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni when attempting to work it through the leg side.
India sensed England were there for the taking and they made further inroads when Broad shouldered arms to a straight delivery in Harbhajan’s next over and it went on to knock back the left-hander’s off stump.
Zaheer Khan then bowled Graeme Swann with a sumptuous in-swinger before Harbhajan had Monty Panesar caught at short leg by Gambhir.
Openers Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were forced to navigate two potentially tricky overs before lunch but they did so comfortably, Gambhir flicking Anderson for two fours as India reached the interval on 9-0.
But England seemed to come out for the afternoon session with a spring in their step and although India kept the scoreboard ticking over, the tourists were rewarded with the wicket of Sehwag.
The 30-year-old attempted to take a quick single off Broad with a drive that the bowler deflected to Ian Bell, who came in from short extra cover to drive at the stumps and complete the run out.
A period of slow scoring ensued as Rahul Dravid, still lacking fluency despite his first-innings 136, looked nervous in the face some aggressive but disciplined seam bowling.
England did all they could to keep Dravid on strike and the tactic paid off handsomely when he fell for a duck off 19 balls – Broad getting one to nip back off the seam, keep low and clatter the former captain’s middle stump.
Captain Pietersen tried to maintain the pressure by deploying an attacking field to Sachin Tendulkar, which looked as though it might backfire when the world’s highest run-scorer beautifully drove Broad wide of mid-off to the rope.
But that failed to dishearten a vibrant England and they soon had their man when Tendulkar (five off 22 balls) steered Anderson to Swann at gully.
It capped a tremendous session for the tourists, who took three wickets for 47 runs in 23 overs, but at tea India had ground their way to 56-3, a lead of 207.
VVS Laxman, fresh from his first-innings duck, was struggling to find any sort of rhythm but dug in as he and Gambhir steadied the innings.
Laxman laced Panesar to the cover boundary for the first four in 12.2 overs but soon succumbed as a mix up between the batsmen saw Flintoff and wicketkeeper Prior combine to run the right-hander out.
Unfortunately for England that brought Yuvraj to the crease and he signalled his intent with two fours off Panesar in the first over he faced.
Pietersen’s decision to stick with spinners Panesar and Swann allowed Yuvraj to open up but, at the other end, Yuvraj was fortunate to survive when Alastair Cook at silly point could not take a difficult chance low to his left.
Yuvraj responded by clubbing Panesar for a six over deep mid-wicket and four through the covers in the following over as India ended on a high.
India needed 45 minutes to polish off England’s tail before reaching nine for no loss at lunch in their second innings on the fourth day of the second and final cricket Test in Mohali today (December 22).
Gautam Gambhir (8) and Virender Sehwag (1) were in the middle at the lunch break, having stretched India’s overall lead to 160 runs after the hosts had bowled out England for 302 in a misty morning.
For the second successive day, thick fog delayed the start of play and by the time the first ball was sent down, the match had lost a couple of hours.
India, however, showed a sense of urgency and took just 10.5 overs to take the last four wickets, conceding just 20 runs.
Off-colour so far in the match, Harbhajan Singh made some amends by claiming three of the last four wickets to hasten England’s collapse.
Spin colleagues Harbhajan and Amit Mishra opened the attack for the hosts this morning and the off-spinner struck with his seventh delivery of the day which kissed Matt Prior’s (2) blade and Mahendra Singh Dhoni neatly collected the ball down the leg.
Harbhajan claimed his second wicket of the day in the very next over. Stuart Broad (1) proved a terrible judge of the turn as he left the ball alone only to see it straighten and knock back his off-stump.
Replacing Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan struck in his second over, rattling Graeme Swann’s (3) stumps before Harbhajan dropped curtains on the innings, claiming Monty Panesar (5) as England fell 151 runs behind India’s first innings total of 453.
India’s new ball colleagues Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma struck in their first overs to reduce England to 57 for two at lunch on day three of the second and final cricket Test in Mohali today. At the lunch break, England captain Kevin Pietersen (28) and Alastair Cook (25) were in the middle, having scored runs at a brisk rate. The visitors still trail India by 396 runs in their first essay.
A thick fog hung over the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, resulting in a 90-minute delay but India didn’t have to wait for long to get the breakthrough. In fact by the time the seventh ball of the day had been bowled, England looked in a hole as the first two runs they scored cost them as many wickets.
On a high after his twin tons in the Chennai Test, Andrew Strauss was brought down to earth by a fuller Zaheer Khan delivery that rapped him in front and umpire Daryl Harper felt it would have his the stumps.
Ian Bell (1) did slightly better than his scoreless opening partner by at least opening his account. But like Strauss, his too was a three-ball knock brought to an end by Ishant Sharma’s first ball that took an inside edge before uprooting the middle stump.
His side in the doldrums, it was clearly an unenviable position as Pietersen walked out to bat. His Indian counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni stunned all by replacing Zaheer with Yuvraj Singh after the left-arm seamer had removed Strauss in his first over.
The ploy, apparently prompted by the fact that Yuvraj had trapped Kevin Pietersen in the second innings of the Chennai Test, didn’t pay off and Zaheer was soon back in the attack. Pietersen was not ready to allow the pressure to bog him and down and decided not to hold himself back. He clipped Ishant for his first four and then hit Zaheer for two boundaries in the same over a flick wide off the leg-slip and an on-drive to signal his intentions.
Having witnessed both the setbacks from the other end, Cook was understandably cautious and the first two boundaries flowing from his bat were immaculate straight drives. The left-hander went on to hit Zaheer for two boundaries in the same over last one being an elegant pull.
India sits pretty with 453 runs on the board at the end of day 2 of the second Test against Englant at Mohali. However, today’s (December 21) crucial play that will determine the result of the Test.
For India to ensure a white wash, captain MS Dhoni will definitely look forward to an early breakthrough to put Kevin Pietersen’s men on the backfoot. The men most likely to do so in an overcast condition will be the duo of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. They were not at their best against the top-order in Chennai, but played a vital role in the second innings. The duo will have to be at their lethal best to jolt the England line-up, which has shown spine in the face of adversity.
Moreover, India’s main spinner Harbhajan Singh needs to strike form and slip into Anil Kumble’s shoes, but the offie has flattered to decieve so far; and needs to get back into his groove, when he gets the ball at Mohali. He is bowling too fast, making it easier for the batsmen to read him. The sting is missing and he is not at his best in the series.
Harbhajan’s failures are made more stark by England’s debutante spinner Graeme Swann’s performance; and to top it Bhajji also has to guide the relatively inexperienced Amit Mishra. It is a tough task, but he has to do it to cement his place as India’s premier spinner.
Dhoni needs to be at his best as the skipper. He should look for wickets, rather than trying to strangulate the run-flow. Sitting on a 453-run cushion, Dhoni can afford to set an attacking field to induce the England batsmen into making mistakes, because nothing will matter more than wickets on a day when the visitors will look to hold forte in their attempt to salvage their reputation after the thrashing in Chennai.
India v England
Posted on: December 13, 2008
Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood batted England into a commanding 247-run lead with two days remaining in the first Test against India in Chennai.
Strauss, a centurion in the first innings, was 73 and Collingwood 60 in an unbroken 129 for the fourth wicket.
After India had been dismissed for 241 four balls after lunch, England held a lead of 75, but were soon in trouble at 48-3 in their second innings.
But they recovered magnificently to reach 172-3 at stumps.
With a number of deliveries now breaking through a wearing surface, India will not be heartened to hear the record successful run-chase in a Test at the MA Chidambaram Stadium is 155.
And though the 1986 Indians famously tied a match here against Australia by making 347 in the final innings, Monty Panesar and Andrew Flintoff will surely pose more of a threat than Ray Bright and Greg Matthews did 22 years ago.
England’s cricket at the start of the day lacked the intensity of the second evening, and for more than an hour India’s batsmen Mahendra Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh did very nicely after resuming on 155-6.
Just 10 deliveries into the day, Dhoni smoothly guided Flintoff behind point for four and two overs later pulled him him for another boundary.
Thereafter, it was Harbhajan dominating the scoring – sweeping Panesar twice to the fence and hitting a couple of fours off Steve Harmison.
Dhoni looked solid, and though Harbhajan was playing more riskily he did not look particularly vulnerable and, with England looking a bit tired in the field, India were firmly back in the contest.
India 155/6: Chennai Test Day 2
Posted on: December 13, 2008
India has been left in a spot of bother on Friday (Dec 12) after the home team ended the day with 155 for 6 at stumps after the top order failed to bat big on Day 2 of the Test match against England in Chennai. Captain Dhoni said the home team would be looking to add at least another 50 runs in their first innings with four wickets still intact.
India made a poor start to their innings losing 3 wickets before the tea break after Debutant Graeme Swann picked up 2 wickets in his first over to leave India at 37 for 3. Just when Laxman and Tendulkar came together to stictch together a vital 50 run stand fot the 4th wicket, Monty Panesar spoiled India’s plans as Laxman perished giving a straight forward catch to Panesar.
A double blow was in store for India as Tendulkar departed in qucik succesion to leave India in a preacarious situation with the score board reading 105 for 5. Yuvraj Singh was the sixth wicket to fall after Harmison induced an edge to Yuvis bat to be caught at 1st Slip. Harbhajan SIngh has joined Ms Dhoni in the middle as India find themselves in a precarious situation.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday (Dec 12) admitted that the two crucial dismissals in the last over before tea by Graeme Swann put the hosts on the back foot but asserted his side was very much in the game against England in Chennai.
“We had a bad day in office. England bowled really well in the right areas. Just before tea we lost two wickets that was very crucial. (Graeme) Swann bowled well. If you see the wickets that he had taken they were of perfect balls. The ball that he bowled to Rahul (Dravid) was a really good ball,” Dhoni said after the match.
“Credit goes to England, they bowled well with the new ball. They have the upper hand right now but we will look to score 50 runs to start off with the lower order. It will be tough but I think if we can reach 200-250 it will be good. In the past we have seen opponents getting 100 odd runs lead and still losing the game,” he added.
“Tomorrow is important, how long we stay at the crease and how much we score accordingly we can say the target. The pitch has started to assist the spinners. But it is still not alarming. The odd ball is bouncing. We have seen worst wickets than this.”
Dhoni also admitted that his boys did not have much match practice before the Test series but made it clear that he was not looking for any excuses. “Yes we didn’t get enough time. Before the Australian series we had a 15-day camp. But it all happens, we are not here to blame anything,” he said.
On Dravid getting out cheaply again after a woeful Test series against Australia, Dhoni defended his former skipper and insisted a player of Dravid’s class will find his grooves sooner than later. “It (lean patch) happens. When you have a long career there will be patches when you won’t be doing well. There will be patches in the peak of your form when you always get big scores. It happens with great players. We are not really worried about it.
“Rahul is very talented and determined guy. His determination and commitment to cricket is excellent. He is working really hard and hopefully he will get runs.” Dhoni refused to be dragged on to Sports Minister MS Gill’s remarks that India should not tour Pakistan in January next year in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks.
“I don’t want to say anything on it. It’s upto the government. The word has been sent across to the Board. Whether to go or not to go we still have time for that. We are now preoccupied with the England series,” he said. The home team captain also rubbished claims of an on-field confrontation between his deputy Yuvraj Singh and Andrew Flintoff today.
“I know Yuvraj very well. These are the things he really likes. He always likes to go around and chit-chat. This is what happened between them in the Twenty20 matches also. I don’t think it was because of the chit chat between them that Yuvraj got out. There was a bad shot selection.
“It’s fair enough such things go on in the field to make it more interesting. The crowd was also quite down and that was the time he started speaking. It adds to the excitement of the game,” Dhoni said.
Graeme Swann
Posted on: December 12, 2008
Graeme Swann took two wickets in his first over in Test cricket as India struggled to 155 for six wickets in reply to England’s 316 by the close of the second day’s play in Chennai.
The off-spinner claimed Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid to leg before wicket decisions to open up the home side’s top order in the opening Test of the two-match series.
Paceman Jimmy Anderson had made the initial breakthrough to remove Virender Sehwag and Swann’s dramatic intervention left the home side wobbling on 37 for three wickets at tea.
A 61-run partnership between Sachin Tendulkar (37) and VVS Laxman threatened to wrest the initiative away from England, but both fell in quick succession.
Laxman, who had batted elegantly, drove Monte Panesar back for a caught and bowled before Tendulkar also gave Andrew Flintoff a return catch.
When Steve Harmison removed Yuvraj Singh cheaply — caught sharply at second slip by Flintoff — England’s excellent day was complete.
At stumps, home skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on 24 and Harbhajan Singh was on 13 with India still trailing by 161 runs.
Swann’s feat has only been matched by one other player in Test history, fellow Englishman Richard Johnson on his debut against Zimbabwe.
Earlier, wicketkeeper Matt Prior made an undefeated half century as England battled past 300 having started the day 229 for five wickets.
Flintoff went for 18 in the third over of the day, but Prior found solid support from nightwatchman Anderson, who made 19 in just under two hours at the crease.
Swann, Harmison and Panesar were all dismissed cheaply with Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra leading the Indian bowling with three wickets apiece, while paceman Zaheer Khan took two for 41 on a pitch offering help to both seam and spin.
The match has been played against the backdrop of heavy security after the Mumbai attacks which left the series in doubt.
England cut short their one-day international series in India, trailing 5-0 with two matches remaining, but returned with a full squad to play Tests in Chennai and Mohali.
On Tuesday, England’s players said they would donate half of their match fees for the series — around $52,000 — to help those affected by the attacks.
The events in Mumbai have placed India’s tour of Pakistan next month under considerable doubt with sports minister M.S. Gill saying on Friday that it was unlikely permission will be granted for it to proceed.
The attacks, which killed 171 people, have been blamed on militants linked to an Islamic group in Pakistan.
India are scheduled to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match during the five-week tour from January 6 to February 19.
Yuvraj Singh
Posted on: December 11, 2008
Cricket would score over terrorism and more than the outcome, both the teams would hope to apply balm on the wounds of India’s terror-stricken populace when they host England for the first cricket Test in Chennai today (Dec 11).
Since the November 26 Mumbai mayhem, it took umpteen hectic parleys and individual behind-the-door persuasion by both the Indian and English Boards to convince that India is safe enough to continue the tour they had abruptly abandoned after the Mumbai massacre.
To their credit, Pietersen and his teammates, including the reluctant trio of Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison and Graeme Swann, put behind their personal apprehension and decided to board the India-bound flight after security adviser Reg Dickason had given the green signal for the series.
But now that the terror scare has been overcome, weather god poses the most serious threat to the Test with the possibility of rain hovering over the eagerly awaited Test.
Despite England returning with a full-strength team, the match on paper looks heavily tilted in favour of the Indians, who bulldozed the visitors 5-0 in the ODI series.
However all eyes will be on none other than the left-hander Yuvraj Singh, who makes a comeback into the Indian Test squad after the retirement of veteran Sourav Ganguly.
It’s time now for the Yuvraj to step in and show the world that he belongs at the International Test scenario. But filling the void created by Ganguly’s retirement won’t be an easy job.
Riding high on his rolicking form the young left-handed dasher powered his way into the Test team. Yuvraj will be hoping to translate this form into the longest format of the game. Yuvraj, who had played his last Test against South Africa at Kanpur in April, has been in sizzling form with two centuries in the recent ODI series against England before it was called off following the terror attacks in Mumbai.
So far Yuvraj has failed to establish himself as a Test cricketer having played just 23 test matches since bursting on the scene nearly eight years ago.
Skipper MS Dhoni is hoping to use the southpaw’s all round skills to good effect in the Tests. But pressure will be on Yuvraj to perform and book his berth in the Indian Test team.
Tamil Nadu batsmen S Badrinath and Murali Vijay, paceman Munaf Patel and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who are part of the 15-member squad, have been left out for the first Test beginning at the MA Chidambaram stadium today.
Yuvraj’s inclusion means that the home team will go into the game with seven batsmen and four specialist bowlers. While the in-form Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma will spearhead the pace attack, Harbhajan Singh and leg spinner Amit Mishra, who has come into the team after the retirement of former captain and ace spinner Anil Kumble, will shoulder the spin bowling responsibility.
Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma wrecked Australia’s top order to leave India on the verge of victory in the second Test in Mohali.
Australia was 5 for 141 at the close of play on day four after India set an improbable 516-run fourth innings victory target, giving themselves four-and-a-half sessions to seize a 1-0 lead in the four-match series.
At stumps, Michael Clarke (42 not out) and Brad Haddin (37 not out) were waging a grim battle after adding 83 runs for an unbroken sixth-wicket stand.
Off spinner Harbhajan took 3 for 23 and Sharma 2 for 29.
Led by opener Gautam Gambhir’s 104, India raced to 3 for 314 before stand-in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni opted to end the second innings an hour after lunch.
Harbhajan removed both Matthew Hayden and Simon Katich in the last over before tea and then trapped Michael Hussey lbw soon after the resumption of play.
The very next over, Ishant Sharma clean bowled skipper Ricky Ponting for 2 with a magnificent cutting delivery.
Shane Watson was the last to fall, departing lbw to Sharma also for 2, as Australia lost 5 for 9.
Both Hayden and Katich took to the Indian attack early, smashing eight boundaries between them before being dismissed by Harbhajan in the off spinner’s first over.
Hayden was the first to go for 29, given lbw attempting a sweep shot before Katich (20) edged a loose drive to gully where Sachin Tendulkar took a brilliant diving catch.
Hussey fell for 1 when he was caught plumb in front attempting a slap through the onside.
India compound the pain
Earlier, opener Gambhir’s 104 and a breezy 68 not out by captain MS Dhoni helped the Indians to an intimidating final day target.
Australia’s bowlers toiled with little success on a dry and slow Mohali pitch where India scored 130 runs from 26 overs in the first session.
Left-hander Gambhir, who made his second Test century, and fellow Delhi batsman Virender Sehwag piled on 182 runs for the opening wicket after India had resumed on their overnight 0 for 100.
Sehwag was dismissed for 90, edging paceman Peter Siddle to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin to miss out on a 16th Test hundred on his 30th birthday.
The aggressive opener, who survived a caught behind appeal on 88, hit eight fours from 122 balls in three hours.
Gambhir hit seven fours and one six facing 138 balls as both openers fell before lunch chasing quick runs.
Ponting spread out the field but could not really stem the flow of runs.
Brett Lee, who has been below his best in the series and needed two stitches on an injury to his right hand, removed Sourav Ganguly for 27 in his only spell of the second innings.
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