PUDUCHERRY, SEP 30 (PTI): After centurion Sam Harper helped Australia A go past 300, their spinners came to the fore, reducing India to 122 for five on day two of the second and final four-day match here on Wednesday.
Off-spinners Todd Murphy and Corey Rocchiccioli accounted for three crucial wickets as India still trail by 236 runs.
The bespectacled Murphy dismissed opener Sai Sudharsan (8) and plucky southpaw Yash Rathod (15), while Rocchiccioli scalped skipper Devdutt Padikkal (31) to leave the hosts struggling.
Shaik Rasheed (36) and Tanush Kotian (6) were at the crease when stumps were drawn.
Earlier in the innings, fast bowler Jhye Richardson dismissed opener Aayush Pandey caught behind in the first over, before left-handers Sudharsan and Paddikal put on 35 for the second wicket.
However, India A lost the trio of Sudharsan, Padikkal and Rathod for the addition of just 54 runs, and first match centurion Kumar Kushagra subsequently fell leg before to fast-medium bowler Liam Scott to leave the hosts in deep trouble.
India A, which won the opening match here by 162 runs, will have big task at hand on Day 3 after they allowed the Aussies, overnight 282 for seven, to stretch their first innings total to 358.
The overnight pair of centurion Harper and Jhye Richardson (31) took their eighth-wicket stand to 53, as the visitors played out the first session and were bowled out 20 minutes after lunch with medium pacer Anshul Kamboj dismissing Harper (128) and new man Liam Hatcher off successive deliveries.
Brief scores: Australia A 358 all out in 116.3 overs (Jason Sangha 46, Sam Harper 128, Anshul Kamboj 3-34, Nachiket Bhute 3-44, Shams Mulani 3-92) lead India A 122/5 in 51 overs (Shaik Rasheed 36 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 31; Todd Murphy 2-26, Liam Scott 1-10) by 236 runs.
