SYDNEY, 3 January 2008 — For 35 overs, an Indian bowling attack spearheaded by 22-year-old paceman R.P. Singh and a 19-year-old late addition was on top of Australia in the second cricket Test.

R.P. Singh took four top-order wickets, some of the biggest names in the game, and spinner Harhhajan Singh removed Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke to have Australia reeling at 134 for six.

The gloom that hung over the team late in last week’s 337-run loss to Australia in the first Test at Melbourne had disappeared.

Then luck deserted them.

Ishant Sharma was convinced he’d got an edge off Andrew Symonds’ bat that carried to wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni when the Australian all-rounder was on 30.

The teenage bowler leaped down the pitch to celebrate his breakthrough and was flabbergasted, clutching his head, when umpire Steve Bucknor gave it “not out.”

Which is not surprising, considering Symonds thought he was gone, too.

“I was very lucky. I was out when I was 30, given not out. That’s cricket though,” Symonds told a news conference. “I can sit here and tell you about my bad decisions as well — but I won’t.”

Symonds continued to make 137, having another close call on a stumping decision on 48 when the TV umpire gave him the benefit of the doubt.

He shared valuable partnerships of 173 with No. 8 Brad Hogg, who more than doubled his previous test high score before he was out for 79, and an unbeaten 69 with Brett Lee, who was 31.

After a bad start and a collapse in the middle when it lost three wickets for two runs, Australia added 242 runs for the loss of one wicket and finished at a commanding 376 for seven.

Symonds said the decision in his favor could have a decisive impact on the outcome of the match, but that was not his concern.

“I don’t really care, mate, it’s happened and there’s nothing you can do about it,” he explained. “That’s the game. It’s just one of those things.”

The Australians were surprised about an lbw decision on Ponting’s dismissal, but that followed a not-out ruling for a potential legside catch against the captain.

The contentious decisions by umpires Mark Benson of England and Steve Bucknor of the West Indies heightened the inevitable debate about bringing the TV umpire into play more often.

Symonds was opposed to that.

“I don’t think the game needs to go that every decision gets referred,” he said. “There’s ways to improve it, but let’s not push and prod it too much.

“Players make mistakes every day. Umpires make mistakes, too. It’s how you handle them and how you keep going after those mistakes are made.”

R.P. Singh said he could understand the frustrations of his young teammate Sharma, who is playing only his third Test and was a late replacement for the injured Zaheer Khan. “I was definitely disappointed for him because he’s a young guy and he bowled quite good pace and quite good line and length,” Singh said.

India need to pick off the last three Australian wickets quickly today to take advantage of conditions which should be ideal for batting on the second and third days before the pitch starts to turn for the spinners.

“I think it’s going to be a better batting wicket tomorrow because the wicket is now slow,” R.P. Singh said. “We have a great batting lineup ... Let’s see how we go.” India scored 705 for seven in the first innings here four years ago in the last Test between the teams at the Sydney Cricket Ground.