India, led by captain Anil Kumble, looked to have done enough for a draw, before part-time spinner Clarke, in his second over, ripped through the tail.

Kumble was stranded on 45 not out off 111 balls as Australia bowled out India for 210 to take a 2-0 series lead.

The run of 16 wins matches Australia's record streak from 1999 to 2001.

Just as importantly, they had somehow done enough to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with two Tests remaining in the series.

The day began with Australia extending their lead, and with the showers staying away, Ricky Ponting declared slightly later than most observers had predicted, after Michael Hussey had hit a majestic 145.

Ponting finally pulled the plug on his team's second innings shortly before lunch with the total on 401-7.

India needed 333 to win, which was never on the cards, but Wasim Jaffer gave Australia an early fillip when he fell to Brett Lee in the first over.

The opener pushed forward uncertainly to a ball just short of a good length, edging to Clarke at third slip.

Soon after lunch, Stuart Clark got Australia's second wicket as he nipped a ball back into VVS Laxman's pads.

Sachin Tendulkar was bowled by Clark off the inside edge six overs later and it was crisis time for the tourists.

The dependable duo of Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, restored some order for the visitors, as they stayed together for over an hour and took the Test into the final session.

Then umpire Steve Bucknor was involved in another moment of high controversy.

Having been roundly castigated for failing to give Andrew Symonds caught behind on day one - the batsman went on to hit 162 not out - he awarded the Australian the most tenuous appeal for a catch at the wicket which ended Dravid's innings.

If the decision looked bad enough in real time, replays showed bat and glove firmly tucked behind the batsman's pad, and several inches away from the path of the ball.

It was a vital wicket, as Dravid had seen off 103 deliveries for his 38 runs.

Three balls later, Yuvraj Singh, a shadow of his usual self so far in this series, got a genuine edge to Symonds and Australia were in the ascendancy again.

An extraordinary incident seven overs later added to India's woes, and again there was controversy as Clarke dived forward to claim a catch to end Ganguly's innings on 51.

The umpires, apparently unsighted, accepted Clarke and Ponting's word that the catch was a good one - Ponting even raising his own finger as though giving the batsman out.

Replays were inconclusive as to the catch's validity.

Ganguly had played well and positively, making 51 off 56 balls, but India were four wickets from defeat and there were still nearly 32 overs remaining.

Another good partnership, this time between Kumble and Mahendra Dhoni, took play into the final hour, before Symonds - having switched from medium pace to off-breaks - struck for the third time.

Dhoni played no shot to a sharply-spinning off-break and paid the price as he was adjudged lbw.

That left Kumble and Harbhajan Singh together, but time was running out.

Ponting went for a third spinner, with Brad Hogg unable to gain a breakthrough, as Clarke was brought on for the final throw of the dice.

Bowling his slow left-armers that had never brought him a Test wicket in Australia, he struck with the first ball of his second over, Harbhajan gloving to slip.

Australia were two wickets from victory and their tails were up again.

Only 11 deliveries remained when India's number 10, RP Singh, came to the crease.

But he could not even defend his first, which pitched in line and straightened - umpire Mark Benson giving him out lbw.

India's last batsman Ishant Sharma safely defended his first two balls, but needing to block two more to leave Kumble on strike for the final over he edged a wider ball to Hussey at slip and Australia had won a memorable Test match.

Clarke's 11 previous Test wickets had included a spell of 6-9 in a Mumbai Test that Australia lost. But this spell of 3-5 in 11 balls proved more deadly.

SCOREBOARD

Australia 1st Innings

463 all out

India 1st Innings

532 all out

Australia 2nd Innings - Declared

Jaques c Yuvraj b Kumble 42

Hayden c Jaffer b Kumble 123

Ponting c Laxman b Harbhajan 1

Hussey not out 145

Clarke c Dravid b Kumble 0

Symonds c Dhoni b RP Singh 61

Gilchrist c Yuvraj b Kumble 1

Hogg c Dravid b Harbhajan 1

Lee not out 4

Extras: 9nb 3w 3b 8lb 23

Total: for 7wickets 401

Bowling: RP Singh 16.0-2-74-1, Sharma 14.0-2-59-0, Harbhajan 33.0-6-92-2, Kumble 40.0-3-148-4, Tendulkar 2.0-0-6-0, Yuvraj 2.0-0-11-0

Fall of wicket: 85 Jaques, 90 Ponting, 250 Hayden, 250 Clarke, 378 Symonds, 393 Gilchrist, 395 Hogg

India 2nd Innings

Dravid c Gilchrist b Symonds 38

Jaffer c Clarke b Lee 0

Laxman lbw b Clark 20

Tendulkar b Clark 12

Ganguly c Clarke b Lee 51

Yuvraj c Gilchrist b Symonds 0

Dhoni lbw b Symonds 35

Kumble not out 45

Harbhajan c Hussey b Clarke 7

RP Singh lbw b Clarke 0

Sharma c Hussey b Clarke 0

Extras: 2nb 2

Total: all out 210

Bowling: Lee 13.0-3-34-2, Johnson 11.0-4-33-0, Clark 12.0-4-32-2, Hogg 14.0-2-55-0, Symonds 19.0-5-51-3, Clarke 1.5-0-5-3

Fall of wicket: 3 Jaffer, 34 Laxman, 54 Tendulkar, 115 Dravid, 115 Yuvraj, 137 Ganguly, 185 Dhoni, 210 Harbhajan, 210 RP Singh, 210 Sharma

Umpires: M R Benson, S A Bucknor


Courtesy - BBC