The moment beckons India

India have their nose in front in this match was the consensus opinion of experts at Chepauk after a rivetting third day''s play.
I would add two ears, a pair of lips, a chin, a scalp and a pun to say that they are a head ahead.
Anil Kumble''s dismissal of Adam Gilchrist in the dying moments was the unexpected big gain. Gilchrist had batted aggressively and threatened to snatch the match away till he was bamboozled by a beauty.
In a match that has had umpteen memorable moments, Gilchrist being bowled round his legs by a wrong ''un must rank in the forefront for Kumble''s control and cleverness.
After Sehwag''s big hundred, gritty half-centuries from Mohammed Kaif and Parthiv Patel restored some sense and order in the Indian batting, which has appeared extremely fragile in the past few months.
Their 102-run partnership took India into a position of strength, but more importantly highlighted the need to expose young players at the right time - to exploit their freshness as well as keep the established players on their toes.
Yet the error-prone Patel must redeem himself quickly as a wicket-keeper because that''s the priority for the team.
Effectively, Australia are now 9 for 4. Michael Clarke is playing only his second Test, Darren Lehman is badly out of form, and the tail has been quite limp in this series.
India''s players will have slept better on Saturday night than they have done in the past four months, but they can''t afford to be slothful. Sunday''s task is already cut out for them - they cannot allow the match to get into Monday.
Australia are the best side in the world precisely because they have the resilience and calibre to raise themselves out of a crisis.
In Sri Lanka last season, they were behind on the first innings in the first two Tests, yet won both, with Damien Martyn scoring second innings hundreds. He is still at the crease, remember.
Chasing 200-plus in the last innings on this track could be like walking through a minefield and best avoided. Australia are unlikely to flinch from the challenge, but India''s task is cut out: This series can be levelled. The moment beckons.
*****
Wonder what Dave Shepherd and Rudy Koertzen think about this business of batsmen ''walking''. One player doing this is novel and newsworthy, two or three has a feel-good value, but if this becomes an epidemic - as in Chennai - it would make me feel neglected and unwanted.
On Saturday morning Parthiv Patel became the umpteenth batsman in this Test to decide his own fate as Shepherd dithered just that wee bit over an appeal for a catch behind. Indeed, had Mohammed Kaif not been hit by cramps, it is likely he would have walked too.
As it is, it appeared he was making a desperate attempt to crawl off the field before the umpire declared him run out!
Now, I am all for honesty and sportsmanship by players, but if the game gets sanitised to such a degree, the gentlemen in the white coats are in trouble. Between the profuse use of technology and batsmen making up their own minds, umpires will be willy-nilly squeezed out.
If I were Shepherd or Koertzen, I would walk off along with the next batsman who dares make his own decision.