Pushed to the brink in the potentially series-deciding tie, Australia's otherwise incendiary phalanx of willow-wielders came up with a strong, if not spectacular, reply to finish day three at a comforting 338 for four wickets at Ferozshah Kotla ground.

Virender Sehwag's three-wicket haul did peg the visitors back but it was still a disciplined show by the Australians, who still trail India by 275 runs.

The job, however, is far from over for the Aussies and Michael Clarke (21) and Shane Watson (4) would return on Saturday, needing another 76 runs to avoid the ignominy of follow on.

Hayden (83) and Katich (64) walked out this morning with a definite purpose and that showed throughout their stay in the middle.

Initially, Hayden looked clearly ill at ease against his nemesis Zaheer Khan who twice hit the left-hander -- first on his helmet and then on his shoulder -- in the very first over.

The towering opener, however, soon regained his confidence even though his was a predominantly cautious knock with occasional outbursts of the familiar aggression – like when he pulled Amit Mishra for a flat six.

Off-colour in the series so far, Hayden was ready to play the patient game, so much so that he even allowed Katich to outshine him.

Katich, on his part, was quite fluent at the other end and looked comfortable against both the pacers and spinners. He pulled Zaheer and drove Kumble with the same nonchalance as the balls races to the ropes.

For once, the same Kotla which has given him bagful of wickets in the past turned its back on Kumble and worse awaited the Indian skipper who left the field and headed for the hospital with a finger injury, sustained while trying to catch Hayden off Amit Mishra.

Mishra teased the Aussies with his prodigious turns and drew the first blood with a gem of a delivery, coaxing Katich out of the crease only to beat him with flight and uproot his middle stump.

By then, Katich had added 123 runs for the opening stand to give Australia a strong start and Hayden went on to raise another 79 runs with his captain Ricky Ponting (87).

Hayden has been pretty much Zaheer's bunny in this series but the opener decided he has had enough. Accordingly, Zaheer was hit for a couple of boundaries in the same over and the same treatment was meted out to Ishant Sharma later on.

At that stage, the only hint of danger came from not the Indians but a swarm of bees which invaded Kotla, forcing a four-minute suspension in play with two batsmen, 11 fielders and both the umpires lying flat on the ground.

Mishra was unlucky not to get Hayden when Kumble grassed that difficult chance but Virender Sehwag ensured the lapse didn't prove costly.

Hit for a boundary in the previous boundary, Sehwag rapped Hayden just above the knee-roll and umpire Billy Bowden took his time before raising his crooked finger to upheld the leg before appeal.

Hayden, however, was less than amused as he mumbled all the way back to the hut. With Ponting and Michael Hussey (53) showing the same obduracy and forging an 82-run stand for the third wicket, India's hopes of triggering a batting collapse never materialised.

Since he got off the mark with a boundary off Ishant, his tormentor since last summer, Ponting swapped aggression for industry and gamely hung on.

His century looked very much on the cards before Sehwag castled him after a patient 165-ball 87 which had 14 boundaries in it.