Mohali, Oct 18 : Sourav Ganguly notched up his 16th Test century while stand-in skipper MS Dhoni missed the mark by a whisker before Indian pace battery landed late blows on Australia to put India in the driver's seat on day two of the second cricket Test in Mohali on Saturday.

Finishing the day at 102 for four wickets is hardly what Australia captain Ricky Ponting would have fancied with Michael Hussey remaining un beaten on 37.

Sourav Ganguly (102) struck his 16th century in his 111th Test -- which has already seen him cross the 7000- run mark -- and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (92) fell just eight runs shy of his ton as India's first innings ended with 469 runs on board.

Australia needed a good start to their reply but by the time their innings was into its eighth over, opener Matthew Hayden (0) and captain Ricky Ponting (5) were cooling their heels in the pavilion with the score reading 17.

Australia had barely weathered the crisis when debutant off spinner Amit Mishra claimed his first Test victim in Simon Katich (33), castling the left-hander who looked well set, and then removed Michael Clarke (23) with the last ball of the day.

The visitors could have been in further trouble but Dhoni twice failed to pouch edges offered by Hussey.

India resumed this morning on 311 for five and the grit and gumption that have replaced the flair and aggression in the final phase of Ganguly's career were on full display on Saturday.

ANI