LONDON: India dismissed centurions Travis Head and Steve Smith as they battled back against Australia on the second day of the World Test Championship final at the Oval on Thursday.
India were facing a potentially huge Australian first-innings total with Smith (121) and Head (163) at the crease.
But their pacemen struck as Australia lost four wickets for 41 runs, including Head and Smith, to slip from 361-3 to 402-7.
At lunch, Australia had reached 422 without further loss. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey was 22 not out and captain Pat Cummins unbeaten on two in his 50th Test.
India quicks Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur had each taken two wickets.
Smith had batted in relatively sedate fashion to reach 95 not out off 227 balls overnight while Head blazed his way to an unbeaten 146 off just 156 balls.
But Smith wasted little time in reaching his hundred, taking just two more balls in Thursday's opening over to reach the landmark by clipping successive Siraj deliveries for legside fours.
The 34-year-old Smith joined compatriot Steve Waugh in having scored seven Test hundreds in England.
Among non-England batsman, only Australia great Don Bradman, with 11 centuries, has scored more.
It was also Smith's third Test century at The Oval and 31st in total, leaving him 12th on the all-time list.
Head extended his first overseas Test century to 150 with a superbly cut four off a Shami ball that was only fractionally short.
But the left-hander continued to look uncomfortable against short-pitched bowling and a short ball proved his undoing when he tried to whip Siraj legside and gloved a simple catch to wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat.
Head's dismissal ended an impressive stand of 285 runs with Smith after they had come together with Australia in trouble at 76-3 having lost the toss.
Soon afterwards there was another wicket for an India-dominated crowd to celebrate at a sun-drenched Oval when Cameron Green (six) edged a drive off Shami, bowling from wide of the crease, and Shubman Gill held a sharp chance at second slip.
Thakur then captured the prized wicket of Smith, who inside-edged an outswinger into his stumps, with India suddenly into Australia's tail.
Mitchell Starc did not last long, run out by substitute fielder Axar Patel for five.
The WTC is the only major men's cricket trophy Australia have yet to win.
India are appearing in their second WTC final, having lost to New Zealand in the inaugural 2021 showpiece match in Southampton. — AFP
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