The opening batsman ground out a half century before he was
given out caught behind off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shortly after Mike
Hussey had departed angrily when he was dismissed in a similar manner for a
first-ball duck off a fiery Zaheer Khan.
Australia recovered through an unbeaten 63-run stand by
wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and paceman Peter Siddle to give the hosts a slight
edge at the close, but the outspoken 29-year-old Cowan said the chance to drive
home that advantage was stolen.
"Today, momentum went against us because of it. Two of
the top six (wickets)... that's the game," he told reporters after scoring
a 68 at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground.
"Of course, I was disappointed for (Hussey). It was a
massive moment in the game. We thought we were half an hour away from really
nailing them, driving them into the dust.
"We get through Zaheer Khan's spell unscathed and it's
a totally different complexion on the day's play."
India's cricket board (BCCI) vetoed the use of the review
system before the series, leaving both players fuming that they had no
recourse, but the tourists were also frustrated when numerous appeals were
turned down in the final session.
Zaheer dismissed Hussey a ball after bowling captain Michael
Clarke for 31, before Ashwin made it three wickets for the addition of nine
runs to leave Australia reeling on 214-6.
The number six Hussey's dismissal by umpire Marais Erasmus
left him furious and television replays appeared to show the ball missing his
glove and glancing his sleeve on the way through to India skipper MS Dhoni.
Amid the drama, Haddin (21) and Siddle (34) rode their luck
to stumps but the Australian wicketkeeper appeared particularly fortunate when
a strong lbw appeal was turned down despite it appearing plum in front on the
replay.
Resuming on 170-3 after the tea interval, Clarke and Cowan
added a brisk 45 for the fourth wicket, before Zaheer, who had struggled for
rhythm in his first Test after a four-month injury layoff, found his line in
devastating fashion.
The 33-year-old beat Clarke with a sizzling rising delivery
that faded away wide from off-stump, then had him chop onto his wicket with the
next ball that cut back in.
Following Hussey's dismissal, Haddin flicked a single off
his pads to deny Zaheer a hat trick and briefly quell the Indian fans' raucous
cheers.
Cowan displayed impressive composure as he posted his half century
and built a 113-run stand with former captain Ricky Ponting after lunch.
The pair pushed Australia to 159 before tea to steady the
ship after the hosts had wobbled to lunch on 68-2.
Desperate to score his first century in nearly two years,
Ponting was out for 62, poking at an Umesh Yadav delivery that bounced savagely
and glanced the bat before giving VVS Laxman a simple catch in the slips.
Ponting's wicket was Yadav's third and the rangy 24-year-old
had the day's best bowling figures of 3-96 in just his third Test, though
Ishant Sharma was unlucky to miss out on a wicket after a tight afternoon
spell.
Yadav earlier had Shaun Marsh out for a duck when the number
three spooned a simple catch to Virat Kohli at gully, before ending Twenty20
specialist David Warner's innings after a quickfire 37 ended with a miscued
hook caught behind by Dhoni.
Yadav declined to buy into the review system debate.
"If it's a bad decision or a good decision, it's part of the game,"
he said, with an awkward smile.
