Clark's impact was immense on day two at the Melbourne Test

Stuart Clark and Brett Lee cut a destructive swathe through India's batting line-up as Australia took a commanding position in Melbourne.

India were bowled out for just 196 on day two of the first Test, Clark ripping through the middle order to take 4-28, with Lee grabbing 4-46.

Sachin Tendulkar's 62 off 77 balls was a valiant riposte, but not enough.

Australia had a lead of 147, which they augmented to 179 by reaching 32-0 at stumps, and look in excellent shape.

The day began with Australia 337-9, and they added just six runs before Zaheer Khan dismissed last man Clark to earn figures of 4-94.

But India's openers struggled against the new ball, Lee removing Wasim Jaffer in the ninth over with the total on four.

606: DEBATE Clark appears to have made victory a formality already BBC Sport's Oliver Brett

Rahul Dravid was dropped at fourth slip by Phil Jaques off Mitchell Johnson and was then caught at first slip off a Johnson no-ball.

But the former India skipper failed to make Australia pay.

He tarried for 66 balls over his almost strokeless five runs before Clark trapped him lbw and India were going nowhere when lunch came with the score 31-2.

Lee's dismissal of VVS Laxman (26) - the batsman gloving a vicious delivery to second slip - made it 55-3 before a timely partnership between Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly (43) followed.

Tendulkar in particular injected a sense of purpose into the innings, and hit the spin of Brad Hogg intelligently, in a stand worth 65 in 15 overs with Ganguly.

But a brilliant spell either side of tea from Clark put Australia firmly in control once again.

Sachin Tendulkar hit seven fours and one six in his stylish 62

Tendulkar chopped a ball onto his stumps 10 minutes before the interval, and new batsman Yuvraj Singh edged his 11th ball to Adam Gilchrist as he attempted to get off the mark.

If 122-5 at tea was bad for India then it only got worse two balls after the interval when Clark nipped a delivery into Mahendra Dhoni's pads to dismiss him lbw.

Ganguly and Anil Kumble (27) put on 44, but two wickets for Hogg made it 173-8, paving the way for Lee to hoover up the tail.

The paceman finished the day with 251 Test wickets, surpassing Richie Benaud as Australia's sixth highest wicket-taker.

In eight overs before the close, Aussie openers Matthew Hayden and Phil Jaques rammed home their team's advantage, stroking a series of boundaries to confirm that the wicket remained a good one for batting.

India already have a massive task on their hands if they are to avert a 15th consecutive Test win by Australia.

"But I think what helped us was the ball got scuffed up nicely and we were lucky enough to get a bit of reverse swing."

"So to be in the 250 club, it's a pretty special moment. I'm a very proud man."

"We should have played better but that is all part and parcel of Test cricket. But the match is not over yet and we will continue to fight."