Australians just cling to life An Indian feast similar to the one served up by Australia's bowlers in Hyderabad. Australia is clinging on desperately in the second Test against India, even if reason suggests it will, before long, be put out of its misery. The host remains in total command, and on the brink of a 2-0 series lead, after Australia's under-performing top order again fell victim to dangerman Ravi Ashwin in a nervous final hour on Monday. Ed Cowan (26 not out) and Shane Watson (9 not out) were able to walk the tightrope until stumps, and will resume on day four with Australia at 2-74. But the visiting side remains 192 runs behind and even with Michael Clarke still to bat the most likely outcome is another hefty Australian defeat. The late wickets were a disappointment after Australia's new spin pair, Glenn Maxwell (4-127) and Xavier Doherty (3-131), had finally brought to an end the pain of 10 long hours in the field. Given the utter control the host was in, at 1-387, rolling the Indians for 503 had been a minor victory. In the afternoon catches were even sticking for former Australian cricketers in the crowd. The exits, however, of another Hughes, Phil (0), and Warner (26) in the final hour, both trapped trying to sweep Ashwin, turned the ledger squarely back in India's favour. "You don't realise how hard it is to come to India and win," head coach Mickey Arthur had pleaded on Sunday night, as Australia sunk to its lowest ebb here. Clarke's Australians have begun to appreciate that snippet of wisdom eight days into the series. The lessons spelled out in Hyderabad by Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay's epic partnership were India 101. The relief for Australia was palpable, if ultimately temporary. That mark remains safe with the pre-World War II punishment dished out by England's Len Hutton and Maurice Leyland at the Oval but it survived by only 12 runs. Pujara and Vijay also fell just short of Rahul Dravid and V.V.S. Laxman's unforgettable alliance at Kolkata in 2001, having to settle for third place in all Tests against Australia. It will not, however, quickly escape the memory of the tired and tormented tourists. The performances of Pujara and Vijay not only deflated Clarke's side but highlighted a major flaw on the Australian cricket scene at present. In India, greats such as Dravid, Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag are either retired or on the way out but, if this series so far is an indication, have been replaced adequately by a new production line of batsmen. Australia (Ist innings) 9-237 decl. India (Ist innings - overnight 1-311) M VIJAY c Cowan b Maxwell 167 V. SEHWAG c Wade b Siddle 6 C PUJARA c Doherty b Pattinson 204 S TENDULKAR c Wade b Pattinson 7 V KOHLI c Cowan b Maxwell 34 M DHONI c Doherty b Maxwell 44 R JADEJA c and b Maxwell 10 R ASHWIN c Hughes b Doherty 1 H SINGH c Maxwell b Doherty 0 B KUMAR st Wade b Doherty 10 I SHARMA not out 2 Sundries (1b, 13lb, 4w) 18 Total 503 Fall of wickets: 17 (Sehwag), 387 (Vijay), 393 (Pujara), 404 (Tendulkar), 460 (Dhoni), 484 (Jadeja), 485 (Ashwin), 489 (Singh), 491 (Kohli), 503 (Kumar) Bowling: J Pattinson 29-11-80-2 (2w), P Siddle 31-6-92-1, M Henriques 21-7-45-0 (1w), X Doherty 46.1-15-131-3, G Maxwell 26-2-127-4, D Warner 1-0-14-0 Australia (2nd innings) E COWAN not out 26 D WARNER b Ashwin 26 P HUGHES b Ashwin 0 S WATSON not out 9 Sundries (7b, 6lb) 13 Total (2 wkts - close) 74 Fall of wickets: 56 (Warner), 56 (Hughes) Bowling: B Kumar 6-4-7-0, R Ashwin 15-6-42-2, H Singh 8-5-10-0, R Jadeja 3-2-2-0